The Powerpuff Girls
by vinny2
Summary: The action-packed reboot! Chapter 25: Bubbles finds Jeremy, but something about him is different-maybe it's the demonic powers. Utonium finds resistance with the Kubelik family, and the PST deals with the demon while Blossom deals with her break-up.
1. The Assassination Sensation

Chapter 1: The Assassination Sensation

The television was on, but he wasn't watching it. He thought he had something more important to attend to. The woman in the next room was making coffee for the two of them, but she had entered the kitchen some time ago and hadn't come back. It must have been at least five or ten minutes. He could've checked on her. He wasn't doing anything. He was sitting on the couch pretending to watch television as if there was someone else in the room he was trying to convince that he actually cared about watching the mayoral inauguration.

Clearly, she was doing something else in the kitchen. "Is the coffee ready yet?" It was a neutral question. It would supply the answer he was looking for, but it would not appear to be negative in anyway.

"Just about," she told him from the kitchen. "Do you drink it black? I always forget."

"Yeah. Black." Then came another minute of silence, full only of sounds coming from the television, of which he was still not paying any attention to. She came into the living room with two mugs of coffee in her hands. She stood motionless for a few seconds trying to remember which one she made for herself and which one she was supposed to give to the man seated at the couch. She made a decision and handed him one of the mug.

"How are the girls?" she asked him. He was waiting for her ask ever since she arrived unannounced.

"They're fine," he said. "I put them to sleep about an hour ago. They seem to be accustoming themselves to life here. They haven't asked about outside in almost a week now. I believe that you're having a positive effect on them."

"There is only so much I can do in this house," she said, for probably the millionth time. "The girls really need some kind of social interaction. A basic education is better received at school. Social interaction is key for girls at such a young age."

"They're teenagers."

"No they're not. When everything is said and done, they're newborns." He didn't say anything in response, so she continued. "I should go down there and talk to them. I haven't seen then in a few days. They probably miss me."

"Better let them rest for now," he suggested. "They actually behaved themselves earlier, so I think they deserve some time to rest." She hadn't heard the last thing he said. She was looking at the television with great interest. "What are you looking at? Don't tell me that the inauguration is interesting to you."

"No," she said slowly. "It's just that I saw a girl there who looked a lot like Buttercup. She was wearing green, too." He joined her in surveying the crowd for the girl in green. They both looked, but they couldn't find the girl who looked like Buttercup. They both shrugged it off, but the sight of light blue caused them to spin back around. "That was Bubbles!" she yelled. "That was Bubbles!" The girl in light blue was once again off camera, but in her place was a shot a girl sitting in the aisle seat near the front of the crowd watching the inauguration. She was a redhead wearing a predominately red outfit, completely unaware that the camera was directly on her.

"Blossom!"

* * *

Blossom still didn't know the camera was on her. She was too preoccupied with surveying the people, places and smells around her, of which she had only been told about when Miss Keane would come to read to her and her sisters. Blossom, along with her sisters, had the body of a teenager, but it did not reflect her mental state. Mentally, she was a few years old, and she only had memories that went back two months. That entire time, she lived in the basement.

The Professor (he didn't give a name) told them that they weren't like regular boys and girls, even more so since an accident created them differently than other people. Blossom didn't understand the complexities of childbirth. To her, she was created in the professor's lab. There was no other way to reproduce than the artificial gestation she and her sisters grew in. She was told that the gestation period was accidentally cut short and that they were meant to continue maturing before birth as to match their physical age. Instead, they were "born" at around 4 or 5 years old.

Blossom didn't really understand most of that, and she didn't really want to. When the professor would talk, she and her sisters would generally tune out. They much preferred to listen to Miss Keane. She would talk about the outside, something that the professor thought was a bad idea; that the girls were not suited to experience the outside world that all other boys and girls could.

Blossom didn't see anything wrong with herself or her sisters. Their physical appearances were not radically different than the professor's or Miss Keane's. Why then, did they not deserve the outside would? The Professor would say that the same accident that awoke them prematurely also gave them abilities that the other boys and girls did not have. She didn't see them, so the only thing she could think of was the outside world, which Miss Keane spoke of fondly during every visit.

Blossom was the self-proclaimed leader of the group. Bubbles and Buttercup found no reason to have a leader, but they would hardly ever challenge her authority. At that present moment, Blossom had sent them to get snacks from the concession stand. The outside world seemed so perfect when the system of monetary exchange had never been mentioned.

Buttercup, the dark-haired girl wearing dark green jeans, green shirt, and with brand-new green highlights in her hair stood next to her sister, Bubbles. She was the blonde wearing blue jeans (extremely light in color) along with a light blue T-shirt and blue bracelets on each wrist. They stood side by side while the man at the concession stand stood in front of then behind the concession counter.

"I'm going to explain how this works to you girls one more time," he said irritated. "In the United States, you have to pay money before you can get food from me? Do you understand now?"

"I think he doesn't want to give us food!" Buttercup complained to her sister.

"That's not fair!" Bubbles shrieked back. "Whenever we ask nicely, Miss Keane gives us all kinds of goodies. I really like lollipops."

"I'm not Miss Keane," the concession man replied. "Here, you either pay for the food, or you don't get any at all."

"I don't like the outside world as much as I used to," Bubbles said.

"I'll handle this delicately," Buttercup assured her. She leapt over the counter with ease and grabbed on to the man's shirt collar. He squirmed, but he couldn't get out of Buttercup's grasp. "Okay! Listen here you little thief! I don't know anything about this money scam you're trying to run, but that's not the way we were raised. Here's what's going to happen. You're going to give us the food we ask for, we're going to thank you, and you're going to say 'you're welcome.' You got it?" The man nodded. He couldn't do anything else.

"Okay," Bubbles began as she pursued the selection at the stand. "I'm getting lollipops. You said you wanted chips, right? Barbecue?" Buttercup nodded. "Okay. What did Blossom say she wanted? She said popcorn, right?" Bubbles grabbed as much as she could before leaping back over the counter. Buttercup gave the concession man a long, hard stare to ensure he would try anything after she let hi m go, which she did and left to follow her sister back to their seats. The man just watched them leave as Buttercup yelled, "Thanks!" before she was out of view.

* * *

Buttercup was still idly sitting in her chair, waiting for the inauguration to get started. She didn't plan to come here immediately. After leaving the professor's house, she and her sisters asked the first person they saw if anything interesting was going on. He told them about the inauguration, and the sisters pretended to know what that word meant as the followed him to mayor's office building.

Bubbles and Buttercup came up with snacks in hand and sat down next to Blossom. Bubbles handed her the bag of popcorn, but Blossom raised an eyebrow and stared at it. "Miss Keane always brings us buttered popcorn. These are white. There's no butter on them."

"Sorry Blossom, but the man was not being very nice with us. It was all I could get from him."

"It's all right," Blossom replied a she turned back forward to watch the inauguration, which had yet to commence. They waited a little bit longer. Finally, someone came out. He was just checking to see if the microphone was working well. He left, and someone else came on. He was young. A man of no older than thirty, he was dark hair that appeared to be freshly dyed (maybe that's what took him so long) and a suit that was missing the all-important tie. On top of that, he was wearing sneakers.

"Good morning ladies and gentlemen," he said in a robust and loud tone. "I want to first thank you all for coming out and hearing me talk. I really wasn't expecting this large of a turnout. I was hoping that there wouldn't be this large of a turnout, so in case I screw up, not many people would notice." If that was supposed to be an icebreaker joke, it didn't work. "Again, I thank you all for coming and I thank you more that you all voted for me, Elliott Meyer, as your mayor for life!"

Someone, a tall woman with powerful red hair that hid much of her face from the audience, came up and whispered into Meyer's ear. He whispered back, unaware that his mouth was still close to the microphone. "I'm only elected for four years?" She whispered back. He whispered; "So I have to do all this caring and campaigning crap again four years later?" She nodded and left the stage.

"Well," he began, "I've just been informed that my tenure as your mayor only lasts four years, so my first legislation would be to change it to a lifetime appointment! Who's with me?!" No one said anything. His enthusiasm cause the sister to want to join him, but the fact that no one else did kept them firm in their seats.

"Does that seam odd to you?" Blossom asked her sisters.

"What?" they asked in unison.

"That man over there watching the speech from his telescope." Her sisters looked over to see a man crouched on the edge of a building holding something pointed at the mayor. It wasn't a telescope. It was a sniper rifle. "It seems weird to me that he didn't just take a seat down here with everyone else."

"Don't worry about it," Buttercup said as she kicked her feet up, tiled back, and closed her eyes. "This is our time to relax. No professor. No Keane. No studies. No nothing."

"Buttercup," Bubbles said. "When you said 'professor', she got up and left." Buttercup sat upright to see that Blossom had gone. She looked at Bubbles. They knew they had to retrieve her.

* * *

At the same time, Miss Keane and the Professor parked their car across the street from the parking lot, after having spent ten minutes driving aimlessly for a place to park closer. "We could have avoided this," Keane said. "I told you that the girls need human interaction outside of just you and me. Maybe they're not normal, but they are humans, and humans are all the same deep down inside."

"Reprimand me all you want later," he told her. "Right now, we need to focus our efforts on finding and reprimanding the girls." He took the lead, and Keane followed close behind and they entered the crowd. They passed through the line of concessions and fat fans enjoying what they just got from the concession stand. They barely squeezed through the tightening crowd, but they finally managed to make it through, and Bubbles and Buttercup were visible across the field.

They moved faster, but quietly to make sure that they didn't hear them coming (as if you could hear anything in the crowd). Bubbles and Buttercup were talking and looking at a building in front of them when Keane and Professor caught up to them. She grabbed Bubbles' arm, and he grabbed Buttercup.

"You girls know you're not supposed to leave the basement!"

"And you know you're not supposed to figure out that we left!" Buttercup shot back.

"Out of fairness," Bubbles added, "it was mostly Blossom's idea."

"Selling each other out," Keane noticed. "They're acting more and more like real sisters everyday."

"Where is she?" he asked commandingly.

"Well, we were seated and watching the inauguration when she thought there was something suspicious about the man watching it from the roof of this building with a telescope. Blossom went to go check it out, and me and Buttercup were discussing whether or not to go in after her."

"Buttercup and I," Keane corrected. "And I don't he's watching it from a telescope." The professor nodded and led the small group into the building.

* * *

Upstairs, Blossom had jut finished trekking the way up the stairs and now found herself in front of a locked door leading to the rooftop. She looked at the handle before grasping it. When it didn't turn, Blossom figured the only thing she could do was turn the handle harder. Eventually, it shattered and the door swung open.

There, she could see the back of the man watching down below with his telescope. "Excuse me," Blossom called to him. "I was just wondering why you're watching it from up here and not down there along with everyone else."

Her turned to look at her, a hefty man with a thick beard and sunglasses. He looked at her in surprise and pull out a smaller gun. "Girly," he started. "You had better turn back around and forget what you saw. I'm giving leniency only because you're a little girl."

"Is that supposed to be a insult?" she asked with a snarl. "Miss Keane says it's not nice to insult people. And it's not polite to point either, with whatever that is you're holding."

"I'll give you until the count of three. One. Two. Three." Blossom didn't move. The man shrugged and pulled the trigger. He began to turn back, but turned back toward Blossom upon not hearing a body drop. She was still standing there, except she was holding the bullet.

"That was unnecessary loud," she noticed. "And really, this could probably have hurt someone if they weren't paying attention." Blossom began to move closer to the man, and he fired two more shots. Blossom caught them both and tossed them to the side. She grabbed onto his wrist, breaking it with ease and causing him to drop the gun. He was at her mercy, but she didn't realize it and she let go of his arm. As he reeled in pain, the others came in.

"He wasn't really a problem," Blossom told them. "He was just being rude to me."

The professor looked down at the man, still reeling in pain. "We need to get out of here. Now."

The all turned back into the stairwell, where police officers were now coming up. Two of them went to the man on the floor and immediately placed him in handcuffs. The adults had a look of despondency in their faces, but the girls were completely unaware of what was going on. Then, the last person came onto the roof. He was wearing a suit and tie. He whistled, and then said, "The man's arm is broken, the door handle is shattered, and mayor's life is saved. Which one of you is responsible for all of that?" Blossom desperately wanted to answer his question, but the professor shot her a look to keep silent.

"I know you," he said to Miss Keane. "You're Kathleen Keane. You teach the kids over at Pokey Oaks Kindergarten." He moved over to the professor. "You I don't recognize. Are you new in town?"

"Kind of. My name is John," he lied. "John Utonium." Keane rolled her eyes at the obvious lie, but none of the officers appeared to notice.

The suited man continued. "Of course, you don't expect me to believe that the one of the girls did all of this, do you?" Utonium shot him a smirk, as if it was obvious. "Well, Miss Keane has never shown the ability to do any of this before, so that leaves only you. I think you have a lot of explaining to do."

"It was me," Blossom interrupted on instinct. Utonium shot her another look, but she ignored this one. "I'll prove it." Blossom grabbed one of the officers by the wrist and broke it with ease.

The suited man stared at Blossom with raised eyebrows and a dropped jaw. He finally turned back to Utonium, saying; "I think you have even more explaining to do." His breathing was heavy and a bit labored. Keane was the only one to notice. The big secret was out, and it was about to come out on a grand scale with one more arrival on the rooftop.

The redhead from the podium was now with them on the rooftop. "You guys are making quite a scene, and it's very noticeable. Mayor Meyer would like to see you all downstairs immediately." She led the group down. The police chief was directly behind her, with Utonium, then Keane, the girls, and the remaining officers brining up the rear. She led them through the crowd and up onto the stage net to where the mayor stood at the podium.

He said to the audience; "I don't know if anyone of you realize this, but there was just an attempt on my life." No one in the audience seemed to care. "Anyway, I just wanted to bring out the people who saved my life. No, I don't mean the police. I mean the girls. From what I've been told, it was the girls, the one in red in particular, who took down the assassin single handedly. Come on over here!" Utonium sighed. There was no stopping her.

Blossom came up to the podium, and stared at all the people who were staring right back at her. "It was a team effort," she lied as she ran back and grabbed her sisters to join her up stage. Of course, this was just her acting like a real sister. If she was going to embarrass herself, she was going to make sure her sisters went down with them.

"How'd you do it?" a reporter in the front row finally asked.

"I broke his wrist, apparently," Blossom replied. People murmured, and the girls couldn't figure out why. "You do realize that girls your age don't normally do that, right?"

"No," Blossom said. "The professor did tell us that we weren't like other boys and girls, but he wouldn't tell us why."

Most everyone was in silence, except Meyer, who joined the girls back on stage. "I know this is the point where we should be questioning the laws of science, whether or not they still apply, who or what the professor really is, is it legal, and stuff of the like, but I like partying better, and I think now is the time to celebrate, because crime in this town won't be able to lift a finger against the Powerpuff Girls!"

"The what?" they said together.

"Don't you get it?' he asked with a smile. "It's like the word powderpuff, but then I took out the 'd' so it says Powerpuff. It's your superhero team name. See? It's a play on words! It's clever. Right, Sarah?"

"Clever, sir," the frizzy redhead said with little enthusiasm.

"Powerpuff! Powerpuff! Powerpuff! Powerpuff!" He kept chanting it over and over again, and some of the audience joined him. Sarah stood in silence. The police chief cracked a smile. Miss Keane didn't know what emotion to express. Utonium simply stood thinking about the future, and if he had one outside of prison. The girls, on the other hand, were chanting along with Meyer. They've never had more fun.


	2. The Canine Design

Chapter 2: The Canine Design

They were all back at Utonium's house. Keane and Utonium were in the living room, with the girls trying to behave as normal girls would in the other rooms. Without much experience, they weren't doing so well. Utonium hadn't lost his expression of despair ever since returning home. Keane's was just one of worry. What was going to happen to the professor? Would they arrest him? What about the girls? They wouldn't dare take them away. Would they? She had grown attach to them in the past two months, and it was evident that Utonium seemed to only care about his own well-being.

"Ken!" she yelled at him, that apparently being his real first name. "Stop pacing so much. This is a problem that can--"

"Problem?" Utonium shot back. "Problem? This is not a problem Kathleen! Bubbles just loaded the dishwasher with detergent. That's a problem. The city of Townsville, and soon enough the entire world, knows that I have been experimenting with human DNA! That's not a problem! That's not even a dilemma. It's a travesty!"

"What are they going to do?"

"I don't know! I have twenty messages from the Townsville Police Department, many of them from Captain Tyler Osborn himself. I have a few called from the mayor's office as well, and a few text messages from the mayor himself. I haven't listened, or read, any of those. If they want me, they're going to have to come for me."

"That's not the way to do things, Ken."

"Neither is experimenting on human DNA, Kathleen!"

"Are you guys fighting?" Blossom interrupted.

"No," Keane said.

"Yes," Utonium said at the same time.

"I've heard about this," Buttercup added. "When parents can't get along, it usually leads to a divorce, and it's the kids that suffer."

"You're getting a divorce?!" Bubbles instinctively interjected.

"We're not even your parents!" Utonium clarified. "Besides, we'd have to be married to get divorced."

"We have about an hour until dinner," Blossom noted. "We can get this marriage on right now. Buttercup! Check the Internet for what we need. Bubbles! Set it up! Let's go girls! We have a lot to do and not much time to do it in!" Utonium simply sulked his head in a confused combination of fear and dismay.

* * *

Tyler Osborn was at the police station, his tie undone and his top button unbuttoned. He had his sunglasses hanging from the pocket on his shirt, as well as two pens. He was walking down the hallway, casually glancing or waving at the other officers as he passed by. They all waved conspicuously back at him, but only if they were waved at first. If they were ignored, they knew why.

Osborn came upon a hallway with a string of interrogation and holding rooms. Some had people in them, waiting for officers to grill them for information. They would be easy to crack, and they weren't Tyler Osborn's priorities. It was the man with a week-old beard and the broken hand in room 5 that was Tyler Osborn's priority.

He came to the door and opened it with confidence. He was sitting there, with his lawyer, a tall blond man with a briefcase of important papers, sitting beside him. He looked up, but the would-be assassin did not. Osborn took a note of it and sat down across from them. "I don't think I need to explain everything that went down the other day. Elliott Meyer was elected mayor. I don't recall voting for him. I don't recall any of my friends voting for him. That's not important, though. What's important is that Mr. Grant here is charged with the attempted assassination of Mr. Meyer. What do you, or at least your lawyer, have to say about this?"

"My client is pleading the fifth," the lawyer said.

"That only protects him from incriminating himself. I have enough evidence against him that it won't be necessary. I want to know who hired him."

There was nothing Osborn hated more than watch he was watching. Mr. Grant was whispering into his lawyer's ear, as if he couldn't speak to Osborn directly. The lawyer spoke; "He will tell you who hired him for a plea deal."

"Deal," Osborn said. "He'll have it. You have my word. I want you to take that as enough because by the time we get a plea deal on the table he may be long gone, so give me a name and location and if it's good info, you will have your deal."

Mr. Grant nodded. Brushing off his lawyer, Mr. Grant spoke directly to Osborn. "He didn't give a name. He called himself 'The Representative.' I met him a warehouse on 4th Avenue."

"It looks like one mystery is solved and another is discovered. If you'll excuse me gentlemen, I have a warehouse to visit."

* * *

The atmosphere at the capitol building was much lighter than everywhere else. Elliot Meyer had a grin on his face that wasn't going to leave easily. Sarah Bellum, his Chief of Staff, watched him in unabashed awe as he rearranged furniture. He wasn't pulling and pushing in any particular direction, and he wasn't exactly doing it for aesthetic reasons. He was just doing it because, as mayor, he could. He was allowed to do that.

"This is my office," Meyer said, partially to himself and partially to Sarah. She wasn't listening because she knew what he was going to say. She knew he would be overly ecstatic, despite the attempt on his life the day before. If anything, it made him even bouncier. "This is my office! Do you know how much work I had to put in to get this job?"

"I know how much work I put in, sir," she said snidely. The crude remark went over his head, as expected. She figured it would be her job to get him on topic, sooner rather than later. "Sir, do you think that something should be done about these so-called 'Powerpuff Girls?' They could be dangerous and a hazard to Townsville. The professor as well, not to mention that kindergarten teacher. They saved your life, but that doesn't mean they should be above the law."

"Let me tell you something, Sarah," suddenly, Meyer's voice was one of confidence. "The biggest problem in this city is the crime rate. What causes the crime rate? Poor living condition. Many of the petty crimes are from down-on-their-luck people just trying to get by. I cheated my way into this office to become their superhero. I want to save them, and I want to be remembered for it. Of course, every hero works better in a team, and if it cleans up Townsville, the Professor and the Powerpuff Girls and even the kindergarten teacher can sleep in my bed if that's what it takes to get them to help me keep this town safe. If breaking a few laws saves a few lives, Sarah, then I am going to break a few laws."

* * *

The girls were in the living room, surfing as many channels as they could. Blossom was in control of the remote, with Buttercup consistently trying to wrestle it from her sister. Secretly, Bubbles was rooting for Buttercup, but she remained seated on the couch as to avoid any trouble. Blossom kept it well out of reach. Buttercup was tough, but not clever enough.

"It's getting late, girls," Keane said as she popped hr head into the room. "Don't you think it's time for you to go to sleep?"

The girls all looked at each other. Blossom took the initiative and answered; "We don't have anywhere to sleep."

"Don't give me that," Professor Utonium snapped as he came into the room behind Miss Keane. "You know where you have to sleep. You've been sleeping there for two months. You have containment pods in the basement. They're nice and comfortable and they cost thousands of dollars each so you had better use them and enjoy them."

Keane looked at Utonium. For a few seconds he pretended not to see it, but eventually he relented. "They're human girls," she reminded him. "Human girls don't sleep in pods, Ken. They sleep in beds. They have a room of their own. If you're not going to treat them like humans, they're more than welcome to stay at my apartment."

"This is the part after the divorce," Buttercup spoke up as part of a commentary. "The parents will fight over custody of the children, and they will bribe them with gifts and goodies to try and win the affection over the other parent. This is definitely something we should be fostering here."

"Okay!" Bubbles joined in. "Miss Keane is offering us a bed, whatever that is. Professor? Do you have anything to counter that with?"

He opened his mouth to speak, but paused. The he said, "I'm not going to compete for your affection. You are my experiments! Creations! Born only because of an accident. You want a bed? I'll get you a bed. Tomorrow. Until then, you sleep in the pod." Again, Keane gave him a look and the girls joined in. "Fine. You can sleep at Miss Keane's apartment tonight, but only for tonight."

The girls celebrated. They left to get their things ready, only to remember they had no things to pack yet.

* * *

The sun had set and much of Townsville had retired for the night. Tyler Osborn had arrived at the aforementioned warehouse with a squad of about ten other police officers. The exited their cars and began to slowly move into the warehouse. The first wave of police officers swept into the building, taking the east side. Osborn and the remaining officers covered the west side.

The first floor proved empty, and the officers went up the stairs to the second floor. Osborn took the lead. There was someone sitting at a desk, apparently working on a computer. The man had short dark hair along with a heavy black jacket. He didn't look up when the police came in. He remained at the computer desk, occasionally sipping from a mug of coffee next to him.

"Get you hands up and step away from the computer."

"I'm not quite done here yet," he said. His voice was powerful and deep. It didn't appear to match his body, a man of average height and fairly skinny. "I have much to do here."

"You are under arrest! Step away from the computer!"

"I am only a representative," he said. "Arresting me will net you nothing, for I am only a representative of a higher power."

"So was the assassin, and he led me to you."

"Mr. Grant was not a representative, or at least not in the definition I use. Mr. Grant had the ability to think on his own. I do not. I am only a representative of a higher power. I am not myself, and whoever I used to be no longer matters, because that person no longer exists. I am only a representative of a higher power."

"You talk to much," Osborn told him as he began to come closer. The Representative didn't move, and Osborn began to move faster until he was standing next to him. Osborn grabbed him by the arm, and the Representative stared at him intently for a few seconds. Then, he pressed the ENTER button with his free hand.

"You may want to look at the computer screen," the Representative said. "The creatures have been released from their cages. They seem harmless, but they are not. The one of whom I am a representative for happens to have an affinity for genetic mutations. This happens to be one of his many experiments on the domesticated dog, one made to create the dog much more vicious and murderous. This is not a bluff. You should not waste your time with me. I am only a representative of a higher power. Your energy should be utilized in finding where these cages are located in order to prevent as many civilian casualties as possible."

Osborn looked at the screen. The image was in black and white, but it clearly showed a dark room where three cages were automatically opened, releasing three dogs. They appeared normal. "You're still under arrest," Osborn told him placing him in the handcuffs.

"You're wasting time. The dogs have been given a heightened sense of smell. Three dogs. Three targets. I'll give you a clue. The mayor is not among them. The one of whom I am a representative has a new focus." Osborn forcibly lifted him up and tossed him over to another officer. He was surprisingly light.

Osborn took the lead once again and began to dispatch the officer. "I want a team at the capital. I know the Representative said he wasn't a target, but we have to make sure. All other public officials are also on check until these dogs are taken down. Move, people!"

* * *

Miss Keane pumped some soap directly from the bottle onto an overused sponge. She glanced back to check if the girls were still in the living room watching television before turning the faucet on and scrubbing the dishes they had used for dinner. She glanced back at them, and she smiled again. They were human girls, not experiments. She turned back to the sink, once again scrubbing the plates. She kept focused on it until hearing a noise, somewhat like a growl.

She turned the faucet off and pressed her ear to listen. It was definitely a growl, and it appeared to be coming from the hallway outside her apartment.

Keane left the dishes and walked over to the door. Bubbles glanced back and watched her walk over as Keane pressed her ear against the door to get a better look. It was heavy growling, and it was coming closer quickly. The dog charged at the door and rammed it, causing it to break off its hinges. The door fell back, falling on top of Miss Keane with the dog landing on top of the door.

Keane managed to grab the door before falling on her back, and the dog began to the try and bite through the door. Miss Keane screamed, and Bubbles ran into the room and instinctively pushed the dog off the door and into the wall. The other girls joined in. The dogs shook off the pain and began to inch forward, Keane stepped back and the girls stood In front to protect her. It lunged towards Miss Keane and Buttercup punched it right back into the wall. This time, it was down and out.

There was silence. They looked at the dog until Buttercup spoke up. "What the Hell was that?"

"I don't know, but Miss Keane was the target," Blossom explained. "Do you think this has something to do with that guy on the roof?"

"I don't know," Keane opined, "but the Professor could be in trouble, too. I'll call the police. You girls just wait right here." Keane left the room and picked the phone up. She stopped and heard a gust of wind coming from the room where the girls were. She looked back to see only Bubbles still standing there. "I'm guarding the dog," she explained. "The other went to check on the professor."

"Super strength and super speed?"

Bubbles nodded, not really know what either of those things were.

* * *

Utonium was in the lab with a despondent and disappointed look on his face. He wandered through the cold room alone. He felt bad. The room was so cold and he had sent the girls to sleep there for the night. He wouldn't sleep there. It was like torture, and he could only imagine how cold it must have been for the girls in the pod.

"Did they feel it?" he whispered to himself. "They slept in these pods for two months and they didn't say anything. Kathleen wouldn't know. The room was warm during the day and she was never in here at night. They're not normal! Maybe they're skin gave them protection from the cold. Maybe they didn't even feel it?" Utonium continued to move around the cold room until hearing the same growl that startled Miss Keane.

He slowly moved around and saw a silhouette run around one of the machines. Her followed the movement and saw it once again in another location. Utonium began to inch backwards towards a desk and opened the top drawer on the left. He slowly felt around for the gun and held it close in his left hand. He began to move forward toward where he spotted the silhouette. The growl came again from his left ands he spun quickly. Rapid footsteps came from his right and spun just in time to duck below the lunging dog. Utonium regained posture and fired two shots at the dog. Both missing. Utonium got back up and began to run for the door. The dog gave chase, but was knocked back by a speeding Buttercup, right into the girls' sleeping pods.

"This is coincidental timing," Utonium remarked. "How'd you know I was in danger?"

"One of these things attacked Miss Keane," Blossom explained. "Don't worry. She's okay. Bubbles is watching the dog to make sure he stays down. Buttercup. Stay with the professor. I'm going to make sure there aren't any more dogs on the loose.: Blossom departed, leaving Buttercup to stare down the unconscious dog. Utonium witnessed the super speed in awe, but couldn't manage to stop thinking about the cold.

* * *

Blossom sped around Townsville; not stopping until she made sure that everything was okay. The streets were mostly quiet. Illegal activity was going on in a few corners, but Blossom was blissfully unaware, She was only focused on the dogs. Afar, she could see a squad of police cars coming down. A few of the pedestrians fled into nearby alleyways as they approached. Blossom stepped out into the street and Tyler Osborn slammed the brakes.

He stepped out, sighing and shaking his head. "You're impervious to most human damage. Just because you know that doesn't mean that I do. What brings you to the middle of the street in the middle of the night?"

"You're police," Blossom pointed out. "Miss Keane says you're supposed to help people, right?"

"Right. I'm Tyler Osborn. I'm the police captain here in Townsville. I have been for nearly ten years. Is this urgent, because I'm in the middle of something."

"I just thought you'd want to know about the vicious dogs."

"Excuse me?"

"One attacked Miss Keane and the other attacked the professor. My sisters are watching the dogs to make sure they don't try to attack again. I'm checking to make sure that no one else is in danger."

"You heard the girl!" Osborn told the other officers. "I want a squad at the professor's house and another at Kathleen Keane's apartment." He turned back to Blossom. "I know who released the dogs. There were three of them, and two of them targeted those close to you and your sisters. I there anyone else that you care about?"

"No," Blossom said. "The only people I know are Miss Keane and the Professor. I don't know where that last dog is going."

Osborn's radio began to static. He checked it, and tried calling into it, but there came no response. Finally, after a second and third try, a muffled response came. It was one of screams of terror. "Who's on this channel?" Osborn asked another officer.

"Grant's transport," he replied.

Osborn sighed. "The third didn't follow the pattern. This whole thing was just to get rid of Mr. Grant. He never intended to kill Keane or the professor. He knew you would save them. He just wanted you distracted so he could get rid of Mr. Grant unimpeded. I don't know who we're dealing with, but he is intelligent. Luckily we have his representative in custody."

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Don't worry about it," Osborn said with a smile. "I've found the third dog. I expect he'll be calm now that he's finished with his target. We'll have someone pick up the other two dogs and dispose of them properly. You just go home." Blossom nodded and began to walk off. Her stomach began to feel queasy as she thought on Osborn's words; specifically words like "get rid of," "dispose," "finished," and "kill". She had never heard such words, and they didn't sit well with her.


	3. The Amoeba Junta

Chapter 3: The Amoeba Junta

Few days had passed with little action, much to the chagrin of some and the delight (or relief) of others. The feral dogs released on Townsville had been put down. When questioned about them by Blossom, Tyler Osborn simply told her that they had been moved away. This explanation seemed to placate her. However, Tyler Osborn was not in a room with people he could so easily placate.

Meyer had called him, along with Utonium and Kathleen Keane, into his office to discuss "The Powerpuff Problem," as Sarah called it. Meyer did not agree with her assessment, which is why she insisted on being in the room with them. Sarah was standing against the wall. Meyer was at his desk. Osborn, Utonium, and Keane were all sitting in comfortable red chairs on the other side. Despite the chairs, only Keane appeared comfortable to be in the mayor's office.

"You all know why we're here," Meyer began. "My Chief of Staff Sarah Bellum seems to believe that the Powerpuff Girls, currently living with the professor here, could become a danger to the city of Townsville. I believe otherwise. I believe that the city of Townsville is already dangerous as it is. The Powerpuff Girls are a blessing and the professor is an angel."

"You are saying that as a metaphor, right?" Sarah questioned.

"Huh?"

"Never mind."

"As I was saying, these girls have been granted superhuman powers. The professor assures me that this was not his intent. It must have been the intent of a higher power. Townsville needs the protection of three superhuman teenagers and it is not my right to stop that."

"You're mayor!" Sarah interjected. "That's the exact definition of your power!"

"If I may say," Osborn began, "I just thought you'd like to know that even with the Powerpuff Girls, the Townsville Police Department will not cease to be a working entity. We will continue to work on our own investigation. They're fast and strong, but they're only three girls. We're still working on tracking down the 'higher power.' The Representative is our only lead, and he hasn't spoken a word except to refuse counsel. His fingerprints have been removed, and so has his image from all federal systems."

"There," the mayor said triumphantly to Sarah, "Even with the girls, the police department is still working hard. We won't rely on them. They'll just be a major assistance."

"If I may," Keane interjected. "There's girls are teenagers physically, but they're mental state is that of a five-year-old. For that reason, I believe it would be beneficial for their development if they were to enroll at Pokey Oaks Kindergarten. I would be with them at all times to keep a close eye on them and ensure their simulation into polite society so that they don't go around breaking wrists and stealing food."

"Can I say something?" Utonium asked. They other looked at his strangely. He wasn't being given the same warm response as Osborn and Keane had received. He took it as an acceptance regardless. "I don't think any of you are thinking about the damage this could cause on the girls. Would you have anyone else's daughter fighting crime like this?"

"It's touching to see you care, Utonium," Osborn told him.

"He doesn't," Keane assured him. "Whatever his reason is, I can assure you it's selfish."

Utonium thought it best to shut up right there, but now everyone was looking at him. He sighed and rolled his eyes before proving Keane's point. "I spent years creating the perfect little girls. Those are years I'm not getting back. Each of those girls and their respective equipment cost millions of dollars. I'm not getting that back, either. Finally, they are walking libraries of chemical secrets that I would rather not get out in the open. Needless to say, they are my life. I'm not about to lose my investment just because Osborn can't keep the city in order."

Osborn chose not to dignify him with a response, infuriating Utonium even more. Keane just wanted to get from in between them. The mayor came with his decision. "Okay. Here's what I'm going to do. The girls will report to Pokey Oaks Kindergarten tomorrow morning. I still want to utilize the girls to help fight crime, if their willing. Despite Sarah's misgivings, I thought we'd send them out on their first mission tonight: The Amoeba Boys."

Silence permeated the room. No one was afraid for the girls' safety. If anything, they worried what the girls would do to them. The Amoeba Boys thought themselves to be high-class criminals, but they were anything but. The nickname was one given to them by Tyler Osborn himself. As he put it so quaintly when they made their first appearance, "The crime in this town is astronomical. These idiots aren't worth my time! They're amoebas. I need a microscope just to see the level of danger they pose to the city!"

Sarah decided to speak up, this time on a more positive note. "If you choose to allow the girls to fight crime, these boys would be the perfect test. They pose no threat. They're afraid to handle guns or any other deadly weapon, they can't fight, and they're even afraid of harsh or loud language. The test wouldn't be to see if they could take them down. I believe anyone of us in this room could take them all down in less than a minute. My son could take them down in less than a minute. This test would be to see how they do it. Are they willing to work as a team? Can they fight without getting in each other's way? Can they restrain themselves?"

"I'm still against this," Utonium said. "Anything that gets the girls into the national spotlight can't be good."

"We could prosecute the professor for experiments than are nothing short of illegal," Osborn suggested. This time, it was Utonium's turn to remain silent.

"I've had enough of this bickering," Meyer said. "I want you all to leave. Osborn. Take a team down to the boys' hideout. Utonium. Organize a situation in which you and the girls just so happen to be passing by when they commit their hideous crime. Keane. If he won't do it, you do it."

"I'll do it," he said snidely as he got up and left. Keane followed hurriedly.

Osborn watched them intently as they left the room. "I figured I'd wait until he left before I mention it to your two, but I decided to do a little digging on our little professor friend."

"What did you find?" Sarah asked.

"Nothing," he replied. "I know Utonium is an alias, but it's like he doesn't exist at all. His fingerprints, which I stole, are unrecognized, and his face is just as unrecognized. He's gone to a lot of trouble to hide his past."

Sarah thought inquisitively on his words, but Meyer simply stood up and placed his hand on Osborn's shoulder. "Leave it alone."

* * *

Miss Keane kept a close eye on the Professor and the girls. She had to make sure that he was going to fulfill his promise to the mayor, no matter how much he would like to stay out of the spotlight. A message from the police department informed them that they would have their opportunity at 7:00 that night. Without having to be insisted, Utonium told the girl that he would take them to the park at that time.

Keane was impressed and the girls were ecstatic. As long as Keane had known him, she never thought he would buckle under authority, especially if he disagreed with its decision. The girls weren't thinking about ulterior motives. They had just slept in their own comfortable beds the previous night, and now they were going to go to the park like regular girls. The professor was beginning to act more fatherly, a trait he was beginning to dislike about himself.

Meanwhile, Tyler Osborn was still on the beat. He arrived at the Amoeba Boys' hideout, nothing more than a sandwich shop on the corner of 5th and Maine. Osborn came in and looked at the lanky man at the desk. "Can I help you?" he said slyly. It wasn't a regular sly voice. He forced it. He wasn't used to saying things in such a manner and it was obvious that his mouth was trying to correct such poor grammar.

Osborn looked at him. "Slim, we go through this every time. You're going to ask for some stupid password. I'm not going to dignify it with a response. You're going to let me see Bossman anyways be because you detest violence so much. So I want you to move your little brown fedora and unlock the basement. I'll even say please."

"Since you asked so nicely," Slim replied, knowing he would have opened it anyways. Slim led him down the stairs to where his associates were watching televisions, cartoons to be exact. The shorter one was wearing black cat. He was eating popcorn out of a bowl, not noticing anything else besides his food and his show. The other man was less attentive to the television, but he watched it regardless. He appeared to be significantly older than the others, and to some degree smarter. (Osborn assumed that at least Slim had some sort of mental retardation, but didn't feel it necessary to ask.) The older man with the gray fedora was Bossman, and that was whom Tyler Osborn approached to speak to.

"You come to me now?" he complains. "You come to grovel at my mercy now when I'm watching television, captain?"

"You know I'm not here for that. You know it really bothers me when you say things like that. Luckily, I just figured that I'd come let you know that a good majority of the police officers will be across town. If you were to plan something at around 7:00 tonight at the park down the street, the police wouldn't be able to get to you in time. In the spirit of kindness, I just thought I'd let you guys know. I'll see you later, then." Osborn left with a smirk on his face that none of them noticed. "Amoebas," he muttered as he left the basement.

* * *

Keane followed Utonium and the girls to the park. She had to keep an eye on him. He had to be planning something. Ruin them? He didn't think of them as human, but he wouldn't go as far as ruin their self-esteem. Maybe he figured they didn't have self-esteem. He seemed earnest enough as he parked the car. The girls dashed out and Utonium followed them slowly.

"Frisbee," Blossom told her sisters. "This is a Frisbee. The point of this game is that I through this little red disc and you try to grab it. The one who grabs it gets the point."

"Simply enough," Bubbles said.

"Throw it already!" Buttercup demanded.

Blossom nodded and smirked. She pulled the Frisbee back and flung it passed the trees and well passed the park limit. Both the girls sped off to retrieve it. They came back and Buttercup was the victor. Buttercup took her position as the thrower and tossed it low. The Frisbee didn't stop as it hit the ground. It continued to skid, even picking up some of the ground. Worse, the girls followed low, leaving a trail were they ran. Bubbles came back with the Frisbee in hand.

She took her position and tossed it. Despite the impressive pull back, she tossed it lightly and it carried to the other girls slowly. Buttercup reached out in front of Blossom, but Blossom slid in front and pushed the Frisbee up in the air. Blossom and Buttercup eyed each other before taking flight, leaving a noticeable trail of their respective color behind them. This new ability came as a shock to Keane. Utonium knew better than to be impressed by anything anymore. They both grabbed the Frisbee at the same time. They began to pull back and forth roughly.

"We should do something," Keane said.

"Feel free," Utonium replied.

"I'm on it," Bubbles said as she took flight to rip the feuding girls apart. They fought amongst each other for a few second until stopping. Keane and Utonium saw they were all looking in the same direction, and they desperately wanted to know what their eyes were focusing on.

From up top, the girls saw three men in hats, one of them was a useless black hat and the other two wore more fashionable fedoras. Their clothes matched the hats, but from the girls' view, the hats represented the entire person, and they could see the hats arguing with an employee of the park. The girls simultaneously flew down a good few feet away to overhear the argument.

"Do you want me to get by boss?" he asked. "You guys can complain against the rule, but the park rules are clearly posted and they've been that way for years."

"It's unfair! That's what it is!" screamed Bossman. "It's ageism. Just because I am a man who is almost eligible for social security does not mean I should be deprived my basic right to joy. If I want to go down the slide, I should be able to go down the damn slide!"

"The playground area is only for children under the age of 10," the park employee continued to argue. "I'm not going to keep repeating this." Bossman nodded. Slim and Junior smiled and ran over to the playground. The employee simply left, presumably to inform him boss. Bossman watched his two associates play in appreciation of his work until the Powerpuff girls leapt over to the playground to end their fun.

"Miss Keane taught us something," Buttercup told Slim. "Those who don't follow the rules are bad and are deserving of some kind of punishment. She is a proponent of a time out, but I like my form of punishment better." Buttercup shoved Slim over the railing and onto the sand below. Bubbles shrugged as she eyed Junior getting ready to slide. "I'm not as much of a proponent of physical violence as my sister, but I am easily taken in by peer pressure." Bubbled took hold of him by the collar and through him over the railing where he landed on top of Slim. They appeared too exhausted to get up.

Bossman turned to leave, suddenly surprised to see Blossom in his way. "A bunch of little girls isn't going to ruin my criminal empire, no matter how hard they bat us around."

"We'll see about that," Blossom said as she hit Bossman in the stomach with her palm. He flew back a few feet until coming to rest against a tree. Blossom came over and stood over him, holding him by the collar. "What was that you said about little girls?"

"I've seen enough," came Meyer's voice as he came out from behind a tree. Sarah was with him, obviously. "Well, I know I've seen enough. I don't know about you guys. I'm pretty convinced."

"I'm not," Sarah said. "Had we not been here, Blossom would have continued to pummel Bossman into submission, and he's never done anything to deserve that, despite his claims. I don't believe they're quite ready to become the defenders of Townsville, if that is the direction we're going with this."

"I'd prefer if we didn't." Utonium said as he arrived with Keane.

"I'd prefer if we did," Meyer retorted.

"I'd prefer to discuss this after the girls become assimilated to the classroom," Keane said.

"I prefer to know what's going on," Blossom yelled to interrupt the squabble.

The adults looked at each other, unsure of who would step up to explain the situation to they girls (They were all in accordance that it wasn't going to be the professor.) Keane spoke up. "This was a test to see if we could utilize your powers to combat crime in this town as a form of legalized vigilantism. You've proven yourselves to be apt at spotting crime, and at having a high moral compass to want to do something about it. However, you don't appear to realize when the battle is over. On another note, you'll be starting school tomorrow. Pokey Oaks Kindergarten with me."

* * *

More time with the lovely Miss Keane was the only part of the explanation that girls managed to remember as they went home. Meyer and Sarah returned to the mayor's office, and Tyler Osborn didn't even feel the need to leave his own hiding spot. He returned to the station, leaving the Amoeba Boys to go home whenever they woke up.

The following morning didn't come early enough for the girls. They were dressed, according to preferred color, and ready for school. Utonium remained as far away as he could from the "getting ready for school," process. He had already took them to the park, and helping them get ready for their first day of school would over further to appearance of being fatherly, and he wasn't going to do that under any circumstance. Kathleen Keane did everything, even taking them to school.

Pokey Oaks Kindergarten was a fairly expansive section for Pokey Oaks Elementary School. Keane had full control over the area, ever it décor. She made sure that there wasn't a single inch missing a collage of colors. There we no desks, only an occasionally chair too small for the girls to sit in. The chairs were arranged haphazardly, and the other students sat on the floor while the colors on the table, despite the pile of papers near them.

"Somehow," Bubbles commentated, "I feel a bit out of place. However, I do like to color."

Bubbles knelt down and began to peruse the box of crayons. Buttercup knelt down and did the same, but they both went for the same color, resulting in a game of tug-of-war with the box of crayons as its only casualty. The girls stopped upon realizing that Blossom hadn't tried to tear them apart. She was busy looking at something. Actually, someone. Her sisters followed her line of sight to Miss Keane, who was talking a teenage boy in a black jacket and black jeans. He had messy blonde hair as if he had just come from powerful winds. "Who is that?" she said dreamily.

"Justin," a classmate answered without being acknowledged. "He works with Miss Keane. He's kind of like her assistant. Do you want to play jacks?" Without knowing what that was, Bubbles and Buttercup agreed to play, but Blossom was too attached to Justin to give them any notice.


	4. The Crush Brush

Chapter 4: The Crush Brush

No fingerprints. No facial recognition. No identification whatsoever. Days were beginning to turn into weeks and the Representative was still relaxing in lock-up without a name to the moniker. He still sat there with little enthusiasm. Tyler Osborn felt he was losing an uphill battle every time he glanced into the room. Passing through the string of interrogation rooms, he could see Mr. Grant's blond lawyer coming down the opposite way. Osborn gave of a snarl that he didn't see as he approached.

"Why are you here?" Osborn asked. "You client is dead. You were informed of that, right?"

"I was," he replied snidely. "I am actually here representing his widow. She is going to sue the Townsville Police Department for failing to protect him when his life was in mortal danger. I just thought I would give you a heads-up in case you would like to settle this out of court."

"My officers risk their lives everyday. I'm not settling anything out of court, blond lawyer whose name I refuse to remember."

He shrugged as if it was a common reaction to his statement. He turned to leave, but stopped abruptly. He was looking into the interrogation room housing The Representative. "I wasn't aware he was back. Is he waiting for his client?"

"Who?"

"Malcolm."

"The man in that room is responsible for releasing three feral dogs onto Townsville. He's the one charged with your client's murder, as well as the attempted murder of Kathleen Keane and John Utonium. Are you telling me you know him?"

"Of course," the blond lawyer said. "He's Malcolm Jules. He told me he was going to practice law Denver. I wasn't aware that he had come back. Are you sure he committed the crime?"

"I was there."

"Let me talk to him."

"He's already refused counsel."

"Then let me interrogate him, then."

"I might actually be willing to remember your name, blond lawyer. Get your ass in there."

Blond lawyer nodded and calmly opened the door. He looked at Malcolm Jules, who glanced back at him. He looked at him as if he were Tyler Osborn or one of the many other faceless officers he had seen in the passed few days, not as if he was a colleague he had previously worked with. "Do you know who I am?" Blond lawyer asked.

"That is certainly an odd question," The Representative replied. "All of the previous police officers have been intent on discovering my identity. Do you not know your own identity? Do you need me to help you find it?"

"You're Malcolm Jules. You should know who I am."

"You are just a human," The Representative replied snidely. "Your brain cannot hope to comprehend the intricacies of what I am now, no matter what degree you hold. You memory has allowed you to deduce my physical identity, but nothing more. Malcolm Jules is now only a face. I, who I really am, am just a representative of a higher power."

"What higher power?"

"Now you are beginning to act like the other police officers. You prattle on with pointless questions that will not yield you the answers you seek."

"That depends on whom I'm asking. Malcolm Jules or the Representative."

"You will get an answer from neither, especially since you are directing the question to one who is not here."

Blond lawyer saw his eyes twitch. " I beg to differ. This question is not question is not directed at The Representative. This question is directed directly to Malcolm Jules. Who is the Higher Power?" There was no answer, a satisfying response as it differed from the comments that he would usually prattle off. "I'll ask again. Who is the higher power!?" The Representative began to breathe heavily before hopping up and pushing blond lawyer back against the wall. He ran to the door and rammed it until it came of its hinges. Tyler Osborn reached for his gun, but was knocked back before he could get it out. The Representative ran to the nearest door, easily pulling that off it's hinges as well.

* * *

After a week of attending kindergarten, the girls were getting used to their new daily routine. Bubbles and Buttercup were content with what they had, but Blossom trying to figure the schedule for two people. Monday through Friday, she and her sisters would be at school at 8:00 in the morning until about 1:00 in the afternoon. On Mondays and Wednesdays, Justin Bradley would be at school starting at 10:00 in the morning until school ended and on Tuesdays and Thursdays he would be at school for start until 10:00. He didn't come on Friday.

She planned to wait for him to come through the doors on Monday at 10:00, just to look at him. He was pretty to look at. Bubbles and Buttercup found her fascination odd, but also nothing to be preoccupied with. For once, Professor Utonium looked forward to a lazy Saturday. He hadn't had one in a long time, and just wanted to relax. That relaxation was marred with a doorbell. Lethargically, he answered it. Sarah Bellum was at the door, with a crew behind her. She seemed to notice that Utonium was at the door, but she didn't acknowledge him as she instructed her crew to begin moving in the parts. A few men came in with a telephone and a table. They began to hook it up as Utonium watched.

"Am I going to be told what any of this is?"

"Eventually," Sarah finally said. "Mayor Meyer wants to tell you himself."

"Doesn't it seem odd saying Mayor Meyer?"

"Yes, but it's my job to say it that way."

"You could say the mayor. You could just say Meyer. You could say Elliott. God knows I'm don't respect him enough to call him mayor." He looked at the men as they finished installing the phone. They waved at Sarah as they left. She waved back. "I'm not getting changed anything extra on my phone bill for this, right?"

"It'll be a minor addition to your current bill," she replied. "You don't want to know how much taxpayer money Meyer put in to this little Powerpuff Project already."

He wanted to say something mean back, but she didn't deserve it. She had just taken his suggestion to call him by his last name only, and making her the target of his anger seemed misplaced. The phone rang. There would be someone he could take his anger on. "Professor," Meyer began. "I am so glad that the phone works. It's separate from your other line. If I ever need to call the girls in case of an emergency, I know I can always reach them."

"Actually, this will only reach them when they're not at school out outside already," he pointed out. "On the other hand, what is this I hear about me being charged for this?"

"Got to go," he said swiftly before the dial tone came up. Utonium looked up to see that Sarah Bellum had already packed up and left a long time ago.

"I'm going to start ranking people in my life," he told himself. "Kathleen is on the good list. Everyone else can go to Hell."

* * *

Monday finally rolled around in Townsville. The Representative was once again on the loose. Thanks to blond lawyer (who Tyler Osborn managed to remember was named Greg), The Representative was identified as a lawyer named Malcolm Jules. He practiced in Townsville for approximately ten years before moving to Denver. There, he practiced one year before leaving his job. He didn't resurface until the incident in the warehouse.

Malcolm Jules was selected for a reason. He was not reported missing, meaning he was not a friendly person to begin with. No one missed him in Denver, and any family he had lived just fine without any contact from him. Whoever the higher power was must have been in Denver a few months prior, perhaps tailing Jules. This was Osborn's theory as he patrolled Townsville, not wanting the girls to intervene. He looked up to see the stream in the sky. It wasn't multi-colored. It was only red.

He pulled the car over and continued to stare at the stream traveling south until it disappeared behind a building. He pulled out his cell phone and called Miss Keane. "Hello Kathleen. It's Tyler Osborn. If I'm not mistaken, the girls began attending kindergarten a while back."

"Yes. That's right. There right here. Why do you ask?"

"Well, if you're so sure, then maybe you could help me with a little mystery. Besides a super powered girl known as Blossom, what else could cause a ray of red as if flew by in the sky?"

Tyler Osborn could hear her put the phone down. She was talking, likely to Bubbles and Buttercup. She came back to the phone. "I'll handle it. Thank you Captain Osborn."

* * *

At Pokey Oaks, Miss Keane hung up the phone. She had an angered look on her face while the remaining two Powerpuff Girls sat with paper and crayons in front of them. Buttercup had drawn squiggles, and Bubbles had drawn a stick figure drawing of herself and her sisters. "You girls knew that she was going to leave. Right?"

"That's a complicated question to answer," Buttercup said. "Yes, we knew that she had plans to split. We did not expect her to do it when she did. Had we known, we would have tried to stop her."

"Tried," Keane asked. "It doesn't sound like you were all that interested in stopping her."

"Again, complicated,' Bubbles said. "She said she wanted to see Justin in his natural habitat instead in here, because she feels inferior to him here. She's developed a crush of sorts, and Pokey Oaks Kindergarten didn't really seem like the best place to act on that."

"So that explains why you didn't stop her, or why you didn't tell me."

"Right," they said in unison.

"And that also explains why you're going to go after her and bring her back as soon as possible or neither of you get a snack before your nap."

"Right," they said again in unison, this time despondently. They dropped their crayons where they stood before whooshing off to retrieve their sister. Kathleen kept a sour look on her face.

Bubbles and Buttercup knew exactly where she was going. Blossom hadn't stopped talking about Justin Bradley since first spotting him. Incognito, she followed him back to school on Tuesday. Townsville High School. That's where he would be and that's where she would be. Class was in session and the girls landed on the roof unnoticed. There were only a handful of students wandering outside the building. A few were clearly skipping class, and a handful appeared to have something of importance to do. Buttercup assumed they were skipping anyway.

"We have to be very careful," Bubbles said. "We have to look for Blossom, but we have to do it in such a way that the other students and teachers don't notice our existence. The last thing we need it to be caught skipping school, in a completely different school to top it."

"Yeah," she replied. Buttercup had clearly tuned out. "You can look your way. I have my way." With that, Buttercup sped off. Bubbles shrugged, confident that her way would be more successful. Casually, she dropped to the ground below, receiving impressed gawks from the skippers. She walked to a school map and followed it to the front office. To the left was a binder filled with the schedules of all the students that attended the school. Convenient. She checked the clock as she looked at Justin Bradley's class schedule, showing he was in volleyball in the gym. Bubbles sped off before she was even noticed by the employees in the office, and she was in the gym instantly.

The gym was filled to the brink. Bubbles noticed there was more than one class going on inside. On the left side, a handful of students played basketball, and the volleyball net was set up on the right side. Justin Bradley was on the blue team, getting ready to serve the ball against the red team, poised and ready.

He looked at one of his teammates, who nodded back knowingly. He rolled his shoulders and tossed the ball in the air. As it came back down, he rammed the ball with his fist and it flew over the net. The red team managed to hit it back, and the blue team managed to save it. The ball flew backwards and Justin managed to lob it back over to the red side. The ball was tossed back over to the blue side. The ball was high in the air, and Justin slid close to the net and got on his knees. He cupped his hands as another player ran to him and used Justin's hands as a jumping off point. He spun around and slammed the ball directly into the ground on the red side.

Justin shook his hands off to regain feeling before joining his team in celebrating the apparent victory. Bubbles managed to take her eyes off the game to see Blossom sitting with a few other students on the brown wooden bleachers. She hadn't taken her eyes off Justin. Bubbles walked over to Blossom, tripping over the rickety bleachers as she reached Blossom. It wasn't until Bubbles sat down that Blossom realized her sister's presence.

"What are you doing here?"

"Did you really think you could just pop away without being noticed? Miss Keane is very observant."

"I was going to come right back. Fine minutes tops."

"It's been half an hour."

"Really?"

"It's time to go back to school. Justin will be there with us at 10:00."

"As our teacher," she replied condescendingly. "As our babysitter, for a lack of a better term. All I can do there is stare at him from afar."

"As opposed to now?"

"I was just biding my time!" Blossom defended. "I'm going to talk to him right now." She stood up and looked at the celebrating team. Justin was no longer among them and Blossom sped off in a blind search for him.

* * *

Justin Bradley had slid out into the locker room amidst the confusion. As he left, he glanced back at his celebrating team. They were too absorbed in themselves to notice anything else. One teammate, the one who made the winning slam, was the only one who appeared to notice Justin's sudden disappearance. He looked around to where Justin had gone off to, and Justin picked up the pace to the locker room.

As he went inside, he looked around to see if anyone was with him. He was alone, and he immediately took off his gym clothes and changed them for his regular set. He looked around again as he tied his left shoe. He was in the clear until a figure pushed him from behind.

"What was that?" he ordered.

Justin picked himself up and spun around. The kid, a few inches taller than Justin, stared at him irefully. There was no sympathy in his eyes. He wasn't out for an answer. He was out for revenge. Justin tried not to seem intimidated, but his bravado was thin, if existent at all. "It's exactly what it looked like," Justin defended. "I decided to win. I like to show things as they are, and helping you appear the winner would just be lying. I can't do that, Lucas."

"We had a deal. You were supposed to lose. Not only do you go back on your word on the last play, it looks like you set that play up beforehand. You don't just cup your hands and expect Zachary to get it. You planned it. Doesn't that mean you lied to me?"

"Well, I suppose there exists certain people in this world who can be lied to—who have to be lied to."

Lucas didn't have a reply. Instead, he shoved Justin back down. Justin stood back only to be shoved again. Justin sat on the ground and looked up at Lucas, standing tall and imposing. He had a triumphant look on his face, which irked Justin even more. Instinctively, Justin hopped up and shoved Lucas into the lockers behind him.

He wasn't sure what he was doing, but he knew he had to keep doing it. The anger in Lucas's eyes had grown in intensity, and the only thing Justin could do was to continue to hold his wrist, keeping him pinned against the lockers. His arms were growing weak rapidly and Lucas's arms were beginning to move. He looked down and swung his foot at Justin's stomach.

Justin recoiled backwards, letting go of Lucas's wrists. "You want to mess with me? Fine!" Lucas balled his hand into a fist and punched him in the stomach. Once again, Justin recoiled back. He tried to stand straight as he moved backwards slowly. Justin kept a close eye on Lucas's hands as another punch came. He dodged the hook and managed to catch the jab. However, he used both hands, and had nothing with which to block his other hand.

The hand stopped. Someone caught it, but it wasn't Justin. They turned their heads to see Blossom, enraged, clenching the fist. She began to hold it tighter until Lucas began to reel backwards in pain. As soon as he had let go of Justin, she threw him back against the lockers.

She stood with her back to Justin, still staring at Lucas, as he lay motionless against the lockers. "That was amazing," Justin said in awe.

Blossom suddenly realized there were more than just two people in the room. Cautiously, she turned around to face Justin. He was in utter surprise, but it was her that was at a loss for words. "I still can't believe you did that."

She was still at a loss for words. Her mouth moved, but no sound came out. Justin kept talking. "Wait. You're one of Miss Keane's new students. You're one of the Powerpuff Girls. Blossom!" Still at a loss for words, she found herself at the receiving end of a statement that required a response, and she couldn't find one. After staring at him for a few seconds, she ran off.

* * *

When Justin came to Pokey Oaks, Blossom ignored him. After about ten minutes, Justin took the hint and stopped trying to talk to her. Her sisters, thankfully, didn't bring it up. Buttercup was too preoccupied with fending off Bubbles. All she could talk about was how her method worked, and how Buttercup found herself running aimlessly around the school halls until giving up and returning to Pokey Oaks.

They left school as soon as possible, before Justin could find Blossom again. At home, Utonium sensed something was wrong. He didn't ask. As night fell, things began to quiet down in Townsville, and even Elliott Meyer was ready to turn in for the night. "Another day, another paycheck," he said to himself, although Sarah was standing nearby.

"As mayor," she began, "I would hope that the paycheck is not your top priority."

"Of course not. It's just one of the most important. Hell, we have the Powerpuff girls doing the most important things."

A new voice came in. "Excuse me, Mr. Mayor," he said. It was a pretty calm voice, nothing too special about it. Meyer raised an eyebrow when he saw where it came from, a man if slightly below average height standing at his doorway.

His expression wanted to ask who he was, but Sarah answered for him before he could ask it. "That's Tom Seaton. Your press secretary. He's been with us since the campaign." It wasn't ringing a bell. Sarah turned to him. "What is it, Tom?"

"I just wanted to ask for permission to use the computer. During the campaign I saved something on that hard drive—a lot of things, actually—I need them now. Would it be okay if I just downloaded them onto my flash drive?"

"We are about to leave," Meyer said, "but you have a pretty trustworthy face. Tell you what I'm going to do, Tom. I'll leave you the key and you can lock up. I am going home for a good night's sleep." Meyer fished in his pocket for the key and tossed it to Tom. Sarah was visibly against the decision, but she left the room with him without saying a word to Tom Seaton.

Seaton sat down at the computer and plugged in his flash drive. He sat, doing nothing, for about ten minutes, until he was sure they had left. He stood up and close the door before heading to the phone that connected on to the Professor's house. He pulled out a microchip and a screwdriver. He unscrewed the bottom and placed the tracker into the phone. Cautiously, he screwed the bottom back onto the phone and left it as he found it.

Seaton removed the flash drive and a made a quick phone call. "It's done."

"Thank you Tom Seaton," the Representative said.


	5. The FullScale Fairytale

Chapter 5: The Full-Scale Fairytale

It was becoming a routine that Kathleen Keane was getting tired of. Every weekday morning she since the girls began school she would come to the house and help them get ready for school. Utonium was in the living room drinking his cup of coffee while pretending to watch the news about a world he didn't really care about. He was completely aware of the difficulty Kathleen was having in getting the girls ready for school. He didn't care.

Buttercup was stirring her bowl of cereal with a spoon, trying to keep from eating it. Bubbles was worse. Keane was trying to get her in to a lovely baby blue skirt, and she was being totally resistant. Blossom, on the other hand, was still in bed, and Everytime Keane went in there to pull her out, she kept a superhuman grasp on the bed while still pretending to be asleep.

"Why don't you help?" she complained.

"It's not my job," Utonium shot back, as if it were a prepared sentence. He was sipping his coffee just waiting for her to get tired of the girls. He knew it would happen eventually. "To tell you the truth, I'm surprised you managed to last this long without chewing me out."

She didn't chew him out immediately. She stepped closer to where he sat and placed both hands on his left shoulder. Then she put her chin on her hands so that she was looking directly into his eyes when he spun his head to his left. "You're a very good actor. You have everyone, especially Tyler Osborn, thinking that you don't care about the girls, but I know that you really do. You took them to the park with no motive other than to let them play with the Frisbee. You knew that if they did well that Meyer would set them up as heroes and you did nothing. You like to play mean, but it's obvious that you really care."

"It's not an act Kathleen," he said with a level of assuredness that she wasn't fully expecting. "I had a reason for taking them to the park that day and it wasn't because I care for them as my children." Kathleen didn't really know how to respond.

"Let's go!" Buttercup said. Kathleen turned around to see Bubbles and Buttercup were fully ready to go to school. Even Blossom had managed to get ready in the time she spoke with Utonium. She nodded silently and joined them at the door.

"I do have feelings, Kathleen," he added as a disclaimer before she left.

"I believed that once."

"Come back tonight. I'll show you what I mean." She nodded silently. Utonium hoped that it meant she would return.

* * *

"Another day in the City of Townsville, right Sarah?" Meyer asked. It was clearly rhetorical, but Sarah wondered whether he was asking it rhetorically, or if he actually needed a verbal reminder that it was in fact a different day than when they saw each other last or if they were still in Townsville. Hoping for the best, Sarah kept quiet.

He sat as his desk and turned to Sarah again. "What's on the agenda today?" This was clearly a question that required an answer.

"Nothing official for you, sir. You do have a meeting with the chamber of commerce tomorrow, and Tom Seaton had a meeting with the press to explain more on the incident with at the park with the Amoeba Boys and how your office plans to go about with the Powerpuff Project. It would be helpful if you were to give him some information. It's embarrassing having to deflect questions because you have no information."

"Why?"

"Because it's you job to have that information—please do not tell me that you have no information on the Powerpuff Project."

"I do," he defended. "I just can't remember anything passed the telephone. It's a pretty telephone, don't you think. I might paint it a different color though." She gave him a look. "I'm sure I have a file or something on it. I'm not incompetent. I just can't seem to remember everything for more than five minutes."

"The definition of certain words eludes you as well sir," she said as she sat down at the computer. Clearly, the word "elude" had escaped his memory as he had a beaming smile after believing her remark to be a compliment.

"Mr. Seaton said he was going to download some things, right?" she asked. Meyer nodded. "It doesn't look like he did. Last night, I remember I left the cursor on the Internet icon. It's still there. I suppose it is possible that he put it in the same place, but I doubt it."

"Why would Tom Seaton not do what he said he was going to do?"

"Because he did something else entirely." Sarah took the phone and dialed Tyler Osborn's number. "Mr. Osborn. I believe that one of our employees, Tom Seaton, may have done something illegal. I believe that he may have bugged the room in someway."

"I'll send some people over to search the room," he said, "but I can't arrest him unless there's proof. I'll keep an eye on him for you."

"Thank you."

* * *

To Blossom's surprise, Justin Bradley was nowhere to be seen. It was Tuesday, meaning he should have been there bright and early with Miss Keane, and yet he wasn't. Blossom knew it was her fault. She ignored him the previous day and now he was avoiding her. It made her feel worse than she did upon waking up.

It was weird for the girls to go through the morning with only Miss Keane and the occasional other teacher wandering through. Then Miss Keane took her position at the reading circle. Justin Bradley always did story time. Miss Keane hadn't read the girls a story since they were confined to the basement.

"Fairy tales are very important, and not just for entertainment purposes," she told the class as they continued to struggle and find a place to sit down and be comfortable. Bubbles sat cross-legged in the back while Buttercup tried to spread her legs out, but the other kids kept getting in her way. She relented and folded her legs like her sister. Blossom opted to remain standing.

"Wait," Bubbles spoke up. "Doesn't Justin normally do story time? Where is he?"

"Not here today," Keane replied calmly. "He's taking some time off, but he should be back eventually."

"That's what the last one said," a girl with pigtails said. "And the girl before him and the boy before her as well. They got tired of us after a few weeks and just stopped coming. When is the next one coming?"

"Charlotte," Keane berated. "You mustn't speak so rudely of other people."

"She's right, though," another kid said.

"Is she right?" Blossom asked. "Do they just stop coming? Is Justin not coming back?"

"Blossom!" she yelled. "Stop it! Don't encourage everyone else." Suddenly, the room went quiet. Keane sighed in hopes that it would calm the room. "As I was saying, fairy tales are important because they're not just stories. They're written with a pattern that a grand majority of them follow. They have archetypes, which I will talk about later. Right now, I'd like you to familiarize yourself with one fairly tale: Cinderella"

"Because of our little discussion, I don't have time to read it to you all right now, but I will run through it quickly. The story, at least the abridged version, begins with a beautiful little girl named Cinderella. She wanted to go out with her friends, but her evil stepmother and just as evil stepsisters refused to let her out. Instead, they made her do all the chores. Well, one night, the night that the prince was throwing a ball for all to attend. Cinderella wished that she could go and suddenly, her fairy godmother appeared and granted the wish that she'd wanted. Now, she had a coach, horses, and a beautiful new dress, and she didn't have to worry about the chores, provided that she remembered that the spell wore off at midnight. Cinderella went to the ball and for much the of the night she was a wall flower until the prince noticed her and asked her to dance."

Everyone except Blossom and sighed and smiled at the sweet sentiment. Keane continued. "Well, they danced, and they were too focused on each other that neither of them noticed the time until the clock struck midnight. Cinderella suddenly remembered her promise and dashed off before the spell wore off in front of the prince. The prince didn't even get her name. However, in her rush, Cinderella left behind a glass slipper. The prince valiantly went around house-by-house trying to find who could fit in the dainty slippers. Her evil stepsisters and stepmother did everything they could to fit their feet into the shoe, but it didn't work. However, on the prince's insistence, he tried it on Cinderella and it was a perfect fit. They were soon married and lived happily every after."

The children were in bliss as if they had just attended the wedding, all except for Blossom, who appeared as if she just returned from a funeral.

* * *

Tom Seaton arrived at the television station, KRLP, for his interview. He stepped out of the backseat with one of his assistants following in tow and another remaining in the car with the driver. He expected to be greeted at the door, but by an employee of the station rather than one from the city. Tyler Osborn was at the door, shooting Seaton a smile that made him wonder what his real intention was both of them remained edgy as Seaton came to the door.

He pushed it opened, and Osborn turned as if to follow him, and he did. "You are Ton Seaton if I'm not mistaken. Also, if I'm not mistaken, you are going to have an interview with the one and only David Wilson on behalf of Elliott Meyer."

"Do you trust the mayor to conduct his own interviews?" he asked coyly. He dropped his defenses, as it seemed that Osborn had no intention other than to talk.

"Point taken," Osborn said.

"If you don't mind me asking," Seaton began. "What brings you here? Interested in the Powerpuff Project? I only have what the mayor gives me, and that's not a lot."

"I'm on lunch," Osborn said.

Just as he finished his sentence, the two were in a completely different part of the backstage area where there were tables lined with donuts and other such quick bites with numerous stagehands eating themselves sick. Coming closer to them was a man, rather tall, with a perky smile and just a perky blond hair and nice blue suit to match. He looked young to be a reporter. There was no mistaking him to be anyone other than David Wilson.

"Mr. Wilson, it's good to see that you're not up to any DUI's recently," Osborn quipped.

"That was nearly three years ago, Osborn," he said. "Are you ever going to let that go?"

"Probably not."

"Anyways," he said turning to Tom Seaton. "I am dying to hear more on the Powerpuff Project. I haven't heard anything since the inauguration. Just some passing conversation about some incident at the park and rabid dogs."

"Rest assured, all of that will be explained in my interview," Seaton said. He began to walk and talk with David Wilson while Tyler Osborn remained behind to answer his cell phone. "It's Gedge. We didn't find anything in the mayor's office. It looks like Mrs. Bellum's assumptions were wrong."

"I understand. If my boss had been threatened recently, I'd be on edge to. You guys can pack up and head back to the station. I'm going to stay here and watch the interview."

* * *

At Andros Mall, there was no one more enthusiastic than the platinum blonde on the second floor being followed by her entourage that consisted of a brunette with an eating disorder named Lacey and a redhead with self-esteem issues named Candace. Their platinum-blonde leader was Priscilla Moore, and she had just gotten her allowance and it was time to spend.

"Macy's," she told her entourage. "You knew the drill. You wait for me out here. I may be rich, but I didn't get that way by buying stuff for my crew. You're just my crew." The girls did what they were told. Lacey did so while swallowing a candy bar.

Priscilla kept a good arm on her purse she strolled through perusing the beautiful dresses. There was a man at the end of the hallway that suddenly caught her eyes. She looked back and he was gone. Suddenly, she was holding on to her purse tighter than before.

A few minutes passed, and she felt normal enough that she loosened her grip on her purse and returned to her shopping. She had moved onto a rack of gorgeous skirts, and a pink one caught her eye. She grabbed it, and saw the man again in the mirror. She spun around and he was gone again. Priscilla ignored him this time and continued her trek through the store, reaching the changing rooms. "No one is there," she told herself as she tried the skirt on. A perfect fit. As she was putting on her original pair of sparkling jeans, the man's image came up again in the dressing room mirror. Again, he was gone when she turned around.

"No one is there," she told herself and she exited the changing room to pay for the skirt. She didn't see him as she got in line. She didn't see him as she paid for the skirt with the credit card. She didn't see him as she exited the store where her entourage was supposed to be waiting. They weren't there. Suddenly, any thought she had about the man dispersed, replaced with anger at her comrades.

"Some friends!" she yelled to herself as she left the mall towards her car. "I do everything for them and they go and ditch me! Ditch ME! No one ditches Priscilla Moore and gets away with it!"

"You do appear to elicit an air of attractiveness Miss Moore," the Representative said. Priscilla turned around. This time, he didn't disappear, and it was because they were completely alone in the parking lot, and it was fairly dark. "Just for your knowledge, I thought it would be best for you to know that they did not leave you on their own free will. Now, as I was saying, you are going to do something for me."

"Who are you?"

"I am a representative of a higher power," he said as he grabbed her arm. "Ask me another question and you're going to find yourself missing fingers. Let's go. We're going on a field trip."

* * *

Night fell and the girls were in bed. It was around 11:00, and Utonium was beginning to feel that Kathleen had forgotten her promise to come back that night, or at least chose not to come. As he got up, her recognizable light knock came at the front door, and Utonium purposely took his time to open it.

"Why did I have to come back at night?" she asked. He waved her inside with out a word and continued to lead her around the hall with his hands until they reached the basement. Kathleen stayed attentive as he opened the door and began to traverse down the stairwell. A sudden chill overtook them both as they came in. "You didn't tell me I needed a jacket, Ken."

"I wanted you to feel it," he said coldly as they reached the floor. The damage that the feral dog had caused was still evident.

"Why are we here?"

"20 degrees," he replied as if he had not heard her. "I recorded the lowest temperature last night. It was 20 degrees. At first, I wanted to believe that the girls have a resistance to the low temperature."

"That's why you gave Buttercup the cold oatmeal," Kathleen figured. "You wanted to see if she could feel temperature, and they can."

"Two months, Kathleen. They may not be my daughters, but I should treat them better. For two months I sent them down here to sleep. Every night for two months they were in freezing temperatures, and I didn't know because I didn't care. And that scares me, because it could have been my daughter."

"They are your daughters."

"Yours. Not mine," he retorted. "I took them to the park as a form of apology. I'll let them be superheroes to make up for torturing them for two months. Sounds fair, right?"

"Not in the least."

* * *

"Where am I?" Priscilla asked.

"Not important," the Representative replied. "What is important is that you refrain from asking question so that I do not have to follow through with my promise of slicing off certain body parts. I'm sure you wouldn't want any blemishes on your perfect skin, Miss Moore."

"Do you guys want money? I can call my father. He can give you as much money as you want. Just don't hurt me!"

"I don't expect to cause bodily harm to you Miss Moore, at least that is not what this treatment is supposed to do."

The woman standing next the Representative, who had remained silent the entire night, finally spoke up. "I know the inner workings of my job, sir," she said. "If I say this treatment will not cause pain, I am certain that this treatment will not cause pain." She was a young woman no older than 30 with the most beautiful black hair that Priscilla had ever seen. Despite her fear, Priscilla admitted to herself that the woman's hair was even more beautiful than her own.

"Says the human mind," the Representative replied.

The woman stepped away from him and closer to where Priscilla was seating, tied up by the legs and arms to prevent movement. She was now holding a syringe in her hand, and Priscilla began to sweat in fear. "I can pay you any amount as long as you keep the needle away from me!"

"You don't know I'm getting paid for this already?" she asked nonchalantly as she slowly moved the needle closer to her neck. She tried to extend it as far away as possible, only prolonging the inevitable. The woman appeared to be taking her time on purpose until finally reaching her neck. The needle went in smoothly, providing a minimal discomfort each time Priscilla moved. Eventually, she stopped moving and the pain went away.

The woman removed the needle and glanced at it before smiling. The yellow liquid was no longer inside, and Priscilla feared what it was doing to her body. She didn't feel different. Not even sleepy. "What did you do to me?"

"There you go again. Asking questions. Trying my patience." His phone rang, ending his tirade. "Mr. Seaton. I caught your interview. I also noticed Tyler Osborn for a brief second when they panned the camera backstage. I take it that they're on to you. This was to be expected when trusting humans. I need you to disappear. It's bad enough that Tyler Osborn is on your back. The last thing we need is the Powerpuff Girls as well." Pause. "See that you do, Mr. Seaton."

"As for you," he said back to Priscilla, "you are going home with no memory of this evening." The dark-haired woman was once again at Priscilla's side with a new syringe. This one was more painful than the previous, and she began to feel light-headed almost immediately before falling unconscious completely.


	6. The Forgone Seaton

Chapter 6: The Forgone Seaton

It was another morning that started just like any other morning had started. There was only one exception: Kathleen Keane came over to find that Blossom was nowhere to be found. Utonium didn't care, but that was to be expected. Wherever she was, Bubbles and Buttercup figured it had to have something to do with Justin Bradley and his sudden need for time off.

The phone rang. It wasn't either of the adult's cell phones as they went to check it. It was the landline on the table; the one Sarah Bellum had so inconspicuously had hooked up not too long prior. Bubbles left Keane's side to answer it with much enthusiasm. "Meyer?" she asked. "What can we do for you?"

"You are very excited!" he noted. "That is great because I haven't had my coffee yet, and I feel like I want to go back to bed. However, luckily, it's not my job to stop a robbery in progress at a gas station not too far from your house. It's about a mile down Crowe Road. Can I count on the Powerpuff Girls?"

"Duh!" she said hanging up. She turned to Keane and Buttercup. "Miss Keane, we'll meet you at school later. There's a robbery and the mayor wants us to squash it. Let's go!"

Buttercup joined her sister. "Wait," Keane said. "Two things. First of all, you're missing you de facto leader. Secondly, school starts in ten minutes."

Buttercup grinned. "We'll have these guys wrapped up, find Blossom, and get to school with two minutes to spare," she boasted. The girls looked at each other in satisfaction before rushing out the door. Seconds later, they were at the gas station. From the outside, it was evident that there was at least one robber. They knew there must have been more.

The cashier wasn't visible from where the girls stood, but they could see one man with long dirty hair walking back and forth in an aisle holding a knife. Then another man, a muscled man with a hat too small for him, came from another aisle and began to speak with him.

"Two?" Buttercup asked.

"There must be another," Bubbles concluded. "Someone must be holding a hostage or else the police would have stormed the place some time ago. Time to work our magic?"

"I thought you'd never ask. I got the big guy!" Buttercup stood from her crouching position and sped off towards the building. Bubbles took a deep breath before following suit. Before they could react, the girls slammed the men backwards into the aisle, causing them to topple over with the men on top.

With the display out of the way, the final robber was visible. He spun around to looked at the girls while still pointing his gun that the young cashier. Both of them were scared. The thief was blond, and had blond stubble on his face to match it. He wasn't too tall, and his clothes were raggedy and days old, much like his companions. Buttercup eyes expressed her desire to tackle the man immediately, but as long as his gun was on the cashier, they didn't dare move. Even a human reflex could prove faster than the girls' speed.

"Hey look!" someone yelled. "A flock of turtles!" The man spun his head to the left, as if hoping the see the flock of turtles. His gun moved away from the cashier, and that was when a red flash punched him back against the wall. He dropped the gun. Blossom smiled, but her sisters were more nonchalant.

"Just decided to drop by?" Bubbles asked.

"You sure Justin can spend a few minutes without you looming over him?" Buttercup added.

"The team comes first," she defended. "I'm a Powerpuff Girl first and a teenager second."

"Actually," Buttercup said—and now she was only centimeters away from Blossom's face. "You forgot kindergartener. To Justin, you're a student of Miss Keane's long before you're a teenager he'd ever confess feelings for."

"Why can't you be happy for me like a real sister? Why can't you support me like a real sister?"

"Where's my support?" Buttercup shot back. "I'm a Powerpuff Girl, and I'd like it if our 'leader' were around to lead us. Support isn't just popping in when you feel like it."

"Guys," Bubbled interrupted. "The guys on the aisles are out cold, but the blond guy must have snuck out during the argument." They looked at the wall. There was a little bit of blood left, but a quick survey of the area proved nothing. He was gone, and had been for some time. Buttercup and Blossom gave each other looks as if were the other's fault.

* * *

"Why am I here?" Utonium complained as he sat in Meyer's office. Worse, he was seated next to Tyler Osborn with no Kathleen Keane to serve as a buffer.

"You are a member of the PST," Meyer said.

"Powerpuff Support Team," Sarah clarified.

"I didn't sign up for that."

"And yet, here you are," Osborn said. "If we'd all like to move on to something of larger importance than attendance, I think it would be nice to talk about Tom Seaton's sudden disappearance. It may have something to do with the phone call I managed to hear. He left his cell phone backstage during the interview—left it on the doughnut table—and I took that opportunity to bug it. He called a scrambled line. It's impossible to trace, but the voice matches that of Malcolm Jules, the Representative."

"So he is working for the higher power," Sarah said. "I knew I was right. He must have bugged this room somehow. He probably can hear us right now."

"It doesn't seem to be likely," Osborn said. "Seaton had access to most of the rooms in this building. He could have bugged them all instead of going for the suspicious one. It's not like this is the only room you discuss important matters in."

"So how do we find him?" Utonium asked, suddenly interested.

"We don't," Meyer said. "The Powerpuff Girls do."

"Didn't you just send them to stop a robbery?" Sarah asked.

"He did," Osborn replied. "I'll confess that the girls do have a knack for the beat-down, even if it does almost destroy the location of the fighting place, but they haven't really shown any investigative skills that I know of."

"You don't know Blossom," Utonium said. "She's obsessed with some boy and she knows his school and home address, or so I've heard…or possibly read in a diary."

"Like father?"

"I don't keep a diary. I'm a scientist. I keep a log. Anyways, I don't have a problem with sending the girls out to search for Seaton. I don't think Kathleen will take to kindly for the timing. What do you think, Tyler?"

"Well, John," he said gleefully, "I think that capturing Seaton is of utmost priority and Miss Keane will have to deal with it. Get them out of class, Meyer. Oh, and give them a radio so I can keep in contact with them. I'd refer it if they waited until I could interrogate him before they rip him limb from limb."

* * *

"Absolutely not!" Keane retorted. Her response was dead-on Utonium's description and once again, Sarah Bellum was the unfortunate target. She was just a representative of a lesser power. "You can't take the girls out in the middle of school. How are they ever going to learn?"

"Discuss your grievances with Mayor Meyer and Tyler Osborn at another time. As for right now, I have an executive order to take these girls with me to assist in the search for Tom Seaton. Finding him may lead us to the representative and possibly whoever released those feral dogs. Have you forgotten that one of those dogs tried to kill you?"

"You can take them today, but this isn't over."

Sarah walked over to the girls. "This is a two-way radio. If any information comes up, Tyler Osborn will contact you through it. If you find any information, you will contact Tyler Osborn through it. Understand?" They nodded. Sarah stood back and put one hand on her hair in preparation for the mad dash they made as the left the building.

* * *

As the girls flew around Townsville, Justin Bradley was just entering his Biology class, specifically looking for someone. Lucas had been suspended for initiating the fight, and everyone assumed that it was Justin who knocked him unconscious in self-defense. He chose not to mention Blossom's interaction.

His friend Zachary was seated next to him, and he gave him the required fist bump, but he was still looking for someone else. Just as the bell rung, she slid into the classroom. Priscilla Moore still looked as beautiful as she always did, but unlike normally, she wasn't wearing her regular high heels that she wore to school everyday (or at least some kind of high heel. She wouldn't wear the same pair twice in a row, or at all if she could help it.) Priscilla Moore was wearing inline skates. They were a vibrant yellow and diamond encrusted.

She had a beaming smile, and it caught the attention of everyone else in the classroom. "Miss Moore," Mr. Molina said. "I don't believe you are allowed in school with wheels on your feet."

"I checked the rules last night," she replied. "There is nothing in there about inline skates. There is a ban on skateboards, scooters, and bicycles, but skates of any kind are not mentioned even once."

"I would assume the same rule apples, Miss Moore."

"That sounds like a suggestion, and as you know, Priscilla Moore doesn't do anything she is asked of unless she wants to. And of course, you can't punish me since it's not against the rules, and it would be unfair to make a rule against it right now in order to spite me, so don't even think about it."

Mr. Molina paused. "They won't be a problem, will they? You do know how to use them?"

"Perfectly," she replied with another beaming smile. "Surprisingly, I put them on this morning and it was like I was a natural."

Mr. Molina decided not to continue with the conversation, allowing Justin to slide over and begin one of his own. "I called you last night. Why didn't you answer? You didn't even text me back."

"You called?" she asked. "When? I went to the mall like I always do. Speaking of which, where are Lacey and Candace? They ditched me at the mall."

"They're here. They told me they got scared off by some guy with a deep voice."

"I don't remember anything like that. All I remember is that I went shopping, and then I went home. I don't remember you calling at all."

"The mall closes at 10:00," Justin said. "You dad said you didn't get home until 11:00. It's a five-minute drive from your house at most. Where were you for an hour?"

"I don't know. I went to the mall. Lacey and Candace ditched me. Then I went home."

* * *

Elliott Meyer remained attentive on the phone. He missed a meeting that he was to have with the Chamber of Commerce and a budget meeting he was planning on skipping anyways. He just wanted to be informed of the situation as soon as information came through, and he wasn't getting it.

Sarah, on the other hand, was trying to handle all of the business that Meyer was purposely forgoing. She came back into his office to see that he hadn't moved an inch. He was still staring at the phone intently. "Meyer, please try to pull yourself away from the phone. If any information comes through, it won't come through on that phone. It only connects to the Professor's house, and no one except the professor is there right now, and he's not working on finding Tom Seaton. I suggest you get out a little bit. Perhaps do a little work. It's good for the soul."

"Excuse me," an aide said as she poked her head into the mayor's office. "There's someone here to see you."

"Who?" Meyer asked.

The aide didn't want to say it, but she managed to get it out. "It's Melanie Reenie, sir."

"Bring her in," Meyer said calmly. Sarah wasn't so calm as the aide stepped away to bring her in. A few seconds later, Melanie Reenie came in. It was the dark-haired woman who was working with the Representative the night before. She was holding two glasses of lemonade.

"Meyer," Sarah said, "You couldn't even remember who Tom Seaton was before I reminded you, so I'm going to assume you've forgotten who this is as well. Melanie Reenie was your Chief of Staff during the campaign. The reason she is not your Chief of Staff right now is because she was selling secrets about your opponent to the press. It almost cost you the election."

"I remember her," Meyer said. "What brings you here, Melanie?"

"I want to make amends," she said as she slid a glass over to Meyer. "I understand that my actions in the election were wrong and I'm here to apologize." She motioned over to hand the other glass to Sarah, but she remained stoic. Melanie kept the glass.

"You've apologized," Sarah said. "Now you can leave."

"Not yet," she said. "There is one more thing I thought you'd might be interested in. Last night, I was with the Representative. I know where Tom Seaton is hiding. It's a condominium that the Representative owns in a gated community called North Haverbrook."

"What were you doing with the Representative?" Sarah inquired.

"Ask me again after you capture Tom Seaton," she replied as she began to leave.

"Wait," Sarah said. "Switch glasses with Meyer." Melanie looked at her glass of lemonade and then at the glass that Meyer held. Sarah was clearly serious. Melanie walked over and swapped the glasses. She even took a sip from both glasses before leaving the room.

* * *

Tom Seaton was in the living room of his hideaway condominium. The Representative had promised him that he would return with further assistance. He just needed to lay low. No one knew he was there. Still, he was nervous, constantly checking out the window. Everytime he heard a sound. People were outside, of course. He wasn't the only one in the gated community. They were passing by walking their dogs or showing off their new dress.

Tom Seaton knew that none of them care about him. They didn't know who he was and they didn't know that he was working for the Representative. He didn't' have anything to worry about. He felt a breeze came from behind him. It wasn't the first time, but this one felt more powerful than the previous.

Seaton walked through the living room cautiously, as if making no sounds would protect him from an intruder, and entered the kitchen. It was empty, but he felt another gust of wind from behind him in the living room. He returned to the room, and felt a finger tap him on the shoulder.

He turned around to see Buttercup standing in the kitchen. "You must be Mr. Seaton." Seaton was breathing heavily, and was awestruck. As Buttercup stepped forward, he regained his ability to move and began to run through the living room until being stopped by Bubbles in the hallway.

"You prefer to be called Tom, right?" she asked. Seaton spun around and ran from the door. He opened it to see Blossom at the door. "I'm really going to miss this when people start to learn that they can't actually outrun us." Blossom raised a fist and punched him backwards right into the recliner. He held his stomach in pain as Blossom walked over to him.

"Blossom!" Buttercup yelled. "Osborn told us to hold him until he gets here. You remember when he said that, right? I know I did because I was listening. Because I wasn't busy thinking of something else."

"Stop it, Buttercup!" Blossom yelled as she left Seaton to face her sister. Seaton tried to get up, but he groaned, alerting Bubbles. She took over the duty of watching him in the chair while her sisters argued. "I don't understand why you have such a problem with me. Maybe I do have a crush on Justin. So what? I'm still a Powerpuff Girl. I was there this morning to stop the robbery. I'm here to capture Tom Seaton. Why is my crush on Justin such a problem for you?"

"Because you're thinking about him right now, and it might interfere in our mission. Right now you can put it off, but what if you can't? It's not like he'll ever look your way. You're a kindergartener! You're a child. He goes to high school! You don't! He won't even look twice at you when he has girls his age to be with."

"I am his age!"

"You're five! You don't even know how to read or write!"

"Neither do you!"

"At least I admit it!"

"Are you done?" Tyler Osborn asked. "I'm getting really tired of hearing you both. I'll take Seaton. Your job is done. Go back to school." Osborn took Seaton off in handcuffs, and the girls flew off, none of them speaking to each other.

* * *

"You seem very different," Justin told Priscilla as they walked—he walked. She skated—down the hallways toward the parking lot. "I bet you're going to tell me that the limo isn't going to pick you up and that you're going to skate home."

"It's very uncomfortable sitting down wearing these, Justin," she said, as if it were obvious. "Obviously I'm going to skate home. Chances are I'll skate to the movies as well. I don't know then. I'll skate, but then I'd have to sit for two hours."

"You could take them off," he suggested.

"The thought never crossed my mind."

Justin unlocked his car and opened the driver's side door. "Think about it," he said. "I'm going to home and think about the new Priscilla for a while." He kissed her before sliding into the driver's seat. Priscilla waved and began to skate off in the direction of her home, some ten miles away.

Blossom turned away. It was the first time she cried, and it wasn't going to be the last.


	7. The Intrusion Collusion

Chapter 7: The Intrusion Collusion

"I have the sudden urge to slam the door in your face, Mrs. Bellum," Utonium said, standing at the doorway with one hand ready to fulfill his promise. Sarah Bellum stood at the front door, unimpressed with the meager threat. Utonium still remembered her last visit, and it was costing him a pretty penny extra per month on his phone bill, and he wasn't about to risk anymore.

"I'm not here to discuss what Meyer wants. I'm here to act as his representative in this matter. Meyer realizes that Blossom was late to the gas station robbery, and it may have been a factor as to why one of the thieves got away. He wants to make sure he can contact them at all times so, along with the telephone installed in the house, he wants each of the girls to have cell phones."

"How much will that cost me?"

"Nothing, I assure you," Sarah said with a powerful enough conviction that Utonium released his grip on the door. "Although you will still be paying for the home phone, Meyer will be picking up the bill for the cell phones. He has a "Fave 5" plan, so it will cost a flat sum per month, nothing more. Meyer even bought them himself in their own respective colors."

"I'll give it to them."

"I don't trust you," she said as she slid her body passed Utonium's barricade and into the house. It was a school morning, and only Bubbles stood ready to go to school. Blossom was nowhere to be seen, and Buttercup was trying to catch as much television as possible before being shoved off by Kathleen Keane, who stood by Bubbles.

"What's a cell phone?" Bubbles asked.

"It's like a regular phone," Sarah began to explain, "except it doesn't require a cord, except to charge it. You can carry it anywhere, and it allows Meyer to speak with you whenever he needs to. Of course, Utonium and Miss Keane will have their numbers in your phones, and you will be able to talk to each other free of charge. You can have up to five people, but I don't think you know anyone else except the three I mentioned before."

"Blossom has four," Buttercup replied snidely. "You didn't mention her love, Justin Bradley."

Suddenly, in a red flash, Blossom was downstairs and staring irefully at Buttercup. "I don't want to hear that name anymore! Never!" The room fell silent. Even Utonium was shocked.

"I think it would be best if we were to head to school now," Keane said to break the silence. Utonium nodded silently in agreement, and it became obvious that Sarah Bellum had already snuck out, as she always did.

* * *

Melanie Reenie's Lamborghini parked in the parking lot of Cortez Beauty Salon, the third time that month she had been there. She was beginning to be considered a regular, and she was more than happy with the money she received for her services with the Representative the other day that she would have no problem paying for this meeting, or for any other meeting in the near future.

She walked in. The receptionist recognized her. Reenie liked being recognized. The woman led her to a seat on the left side, the same seat Reenie had sat at many times before. She had her own seat, and it was like as if it were waiting for her. "Carmen will be with you in just a moment," she said. Reenie liked the fact that she knew who that was, and that she was also expected to know. Everything was perfect for her.

Then her cell phone rang. She didn't recognize the number, but shrugged and answered it anyways. "Care to explain yourself, Miss Reenie?" the Representative asked.

"I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about. You hired me to do a job. I did your job. What I do after I walk out those doors with paycheck in hand is of none of your concern."

"I do not feel the same way, Miss Reenie. The way I understand it, you went to the mayor's office yesterday and told them where Tom Seaton was hiding. Do you not see how that poses a problem for my organization?"

"I do," she said, "but I did those things after my employment was already finished."

"This isn't about your employment," he said crudely. "If you so please, you may keep the paycheck. I recommend you spend it as soon as you can, because my mindset is on revenge, and I like to enact it strongly."

"Isn't this your fault for answering Seaton's call in front of me?"

"I put my trust in you."

"Human mistake," she said before hanging up. She looked around. Carmen hadn't arrived, and she was surprised that the Representative did not try calling back after she hung up. Instead, it was a new number, and it was one that she recognized and was waiting for.

"Melanie Reenie?"

"This is she."

"Elliott Meyer has requested your presence at his office. Today if you could."

"I'm in an appointment right now, but tell him I'll stop by later today, if I can."

"Will do, Miss Reenie."

* * *

Blossom was staring at the mansion. It wasn't hard to locate the home of Priscilla Moore. It was harder to keep the fact that she was searching for it a secret. She couldn't, and didn't, do it alone, which is why Bubbles was with her. Under no circumstances was Blossom going to let Buttercup know that she hadn't let it go. She didn't even understand why she couldn't let it go. All she knew is that she had a sudden urge to spy on Priscilla Moore, and after watching Kathleen Keane's movement in the passed weeks, Blossom knew it would be a good half an hour before her disappearance would be noticed, even by Buttercup.

Bubbles kept her search a secret, and she knew everything Blossom was planning. She had to take her with her, or risk Bubbles spilling the beans to an interested third party, and her plan would end much sooner than expected, not that she really had a plan further than arriving at the mansion.

Levitating from a far, Blossom's eyes watched Priscilla Moore's silhouette walk passed several of the windows. Blossom guessed that the room on the far left was her bedroom, and began to move forward as she walked away, appearing next downstairs. Finally, she reached the window, and it was open within seconds. Blossom slipped inside, and Bubbles followed closely.

"What are we doing?" she asked. "No, wait. I'm not doing anything. What are you doing? I thought you made it perfectly clear that you were done with this whole Justin Bradley thing. This makes it look like you're not over this whole Justin Bradley thing."

"I am," she said. "If he wants to date this Priscilla girl, I am totally okay with that, provided that she's good enough for Justin."

"Good enough? Since when do you decide what's good enough for Justin?"

"I have rigorous standards!"

"Do they include an aptitude for breaking and entering?"

"Never mind. Just help me look for something incriminating." Bubbles stopped trying to reason with her sister. Blossom was on a mission to break up the couple by any means necessary, and she wasn't going to stop until she had searched the entire expansive room, including the closets stacks upon closet behind even more closets. The closet space added up to more than the actual room, but Blossom found nothing incriminating.

"Do you think this is anything?" Bubbles called. Nonchalantly, Blossom flew over to where she was, as Blossom had already checked that area.

In her hands was a pair of inline skated, yellow and diamond-encrusted. She saw them already, and shrugged when Bubbled held them up higher foe emphasis. "It looks like a regular pair of inline skates, so do you think it's suspicious that she's upgrading it with some serious tech? Check this out." Bubbles spun the skate around. Priscilla had cut a hole inside the side; numerous cables could be seen leading to the sole. Bubbles pointed to the floor, where there appeared to be a pair of tiny motors.

"I'm calling him now."

"You have his number?"

"I got it off Priscilla's cell phone when we were searching. Did you know you can put people's names with their numbers?"

The door opened. Priscilla was back, and the sisters dashed into the closet to hide. Priscilla closed the door behind her carefully. She looked around, as if she were expecting someone to be watching her, and walked over to where the inline skates were strewn on the floor. "I need some kind of energy source. I can't run them on gasoline, and batteries would die way too fast because of all the juice I'm using just to power them up."

Blossom was arguing with herself in hush tones, forgetting that Bubbles was beside her. "How are we getting out of here? We're fast, but not fast enough that she won't see our colors. Sooner or later—and my money would be on sooner—she will figure out that we were spying on her. What are we going to do?"

"I'll distract her," Bubbles replied. "I don't have anything to hide. If she figures out it was me, I'll make up something, but you'll have a harder time explaining it to Miss Keane or the professor and especially to Buttercup what you were doing if any of them were to find out that Priscilla is Justin's girlfriend."

"I'm not going to let you do that."

"You don't have any other choice."

With those words, Bubbles sped out of the closet and out the open window. Priscilla looked up, catching a glimpse of the blue flash of light as it exited her room. She ran to the window, trying to get a better look, but she was long gone. Blossom took the opportunity to run out via the front door. Priscilla felt the wind, but she didn't spin around fast enough to see the red light.

* * *

Tyler Osborn groaned. He looked into the interrogation room where Tom Seaton was sitting. To his left was his defense attorney. Townsville was a big city. Was this guy the only guy willing to represent employees of the Representative? Osborn was tired of looking at the same blonde-haired lawyer, and was wishing that he still didn't remember that his name was Greg.

"Hello Mr. Osborn," he said casually as if he actually had something to be casual about. Having helped Osborn in the past did not help him in the present, or at least that is how Osborn saw it. He sat down across from the two, and it was Greg who started the conversation. "My client would like to know what he's been arrested for."

"Change of pace," he said. "When we arrested Mr. Grant, he spilled the beans immediately. I guess he thought we could help him. You're learning from his mistakes. Stay quiet, even if it gets you arrested, because that way at least you won't have rabid dogs on your tail."

"I've gone nothing wrong," Seaton contested.

"That's where you're wrong," he said. "I find it rather suspicious that after your interview with David Wilson, you ran off to some condominium in North Haverbrook instead of heading back to the office. Why is that? Well, according to an informant, she said that you were told to hide out there by the Representative. As it just so happens, that condo in which you were found in happens to be owns by a one Malcolm Jules, which was purchased before his disappearance."

"What's the connection between Jules and the Representative?"

"Your lawyer didn't tell you? They're one in the same. It was actually old Greg here who noticed it."

"It was my guess," Greg defended. "I had no proof that my assumption was correct, and after the Representative's escape, no one had anyway to validate it."

"I haven't been proven wrong," Osborn said back. "Malcolm Jules hasn't been seen in about a year."

"Who's the informant? How does she know anything about the Representative?"

"She was with him that night," Osborn admitted. "She will be punished for that, but she is receiving very much leniency for her cooperation, and you could receive the same if you just accepted the terms and admit to your guilt."

"I have nothing to admit to."

* * *

"It's good to see you again Elliott," Reenie said with a perverse smile that sent a shiver down Sarah Bellum's spine. Her clothes were just as chic and stylish as the day before, but her hair was more beautiful than ever. It was the only thing she was honest about. She wanted everyone to know the beauty of her hair, and it was working.

"You do not address the mayor by his first name," Sarah chided.

"She can address me as she pleases," Elliott shot back. His reaction was unlike him. Sarah noted it. "Fist of all, I would like to thank you for helping us capture Tom Seaton. I haven't heard anything from the police station, but I don't think he's talking. That's all right. It still puts us one step closer to the Representative, and one step closer to the higher power."

"Is that all you invited me here for? You could have told me this over the phone."

"There is one more thing," he added as he stood up and walked over to Melanie. He placed his hand on her shoulder before continuing. "You made some poor decisions in the past, but I always did consider your advice to be flawless. That is why I'm asking you to come onto my administration as a special adviser."

Reenie shot a glance at Sarah, and she wasn't smiling. "I have a feeling this wasn't a unanimous decision."

"Sarah doesn't believe that you're what's best for my administration, but I'm the mayor. I don't have to listen to her."

"I'm your Chief of Staff," she defended. "The whole point of my job is that you listen to me."

"Good point. Maybe I should get rid of it. Later. Right now, I have to welcome the newest member of my staff."

"Aren't you forgetting the fact that Miss Reenie is a wanted criminal who worked alongside the Representative doing God knows what?" Sarah shouted, unable to keep herself quiet any longer.

"Consider yourself pardoned," he told Reenie before sitting back down at his desk. "It's good to be the mayor."

* * *

Justin Bradley was in his garage. He turned the amps up and slung the guitar around his neck. Standing to his left was Zachary on bass, as well as his back-up vocal. Directly behinds him was Gina-Marie, the drummer. The garage door began to open. Zachary was smiling intensely, but Justin had his eyes square on the blue mailbox across the street as if it were a live audience.

As the garage door hit the top, Zachary took his cue and slowly began to strum the bass guitar. Soon after, Gina-Marie began to tap the crash cymbal slowly, trying to keep in beat with Zachary. Zachary didn't notice that he was going slightly too fast, and he didn't notice the look Gina-Marie was giving him because of it. Justin's peripheral vision return to him as he big to join the others with his guitar, but he stopped immediately, and his companions could see why.

It was Priscilla, skating up to them frantically. "Something was in my room," she said.

"What?"

"I don't know, but it was blue and it was fast."

"How fast?"

"All I saw was a blur as it ran passed me. It was hiding in my closet, and it ran out my window when I turn around. I think it had a companion because I felt a gust of wind behind me. I didn't get a look at it though, so that might be paranoia, but I'm sure I saw something."

"Did you tell your dad?"

"Yes, and he called Tyler Osborn directly. Do you know what he said?"

"What did he say?"

"Tyler Osborn told my father not to worry about it. That he would handle it. How could Osborn know what to do with that description? It's not like he knows who or what that was."

"I have a suspicion," Justin whispered to himself. He turned to his band, and looking at the look on his face, they knew it would be bad news. Gina-Marie dropped the sticks in anger. "I'm going back to Miss Keane tomorrow."

"What the Hell," Zachary complained.

"I concur," Gina-Marie added, in her Australian accent. "You said you were going to take time off from Pokey Oaks to practice our new song. How much time have we spent on it?"

"I know. Not much, but Priscilla needs me, and if the Chief of Police knows what cause that blur from such a meager description, then I think I know what caused it too."

"Someone from Pokey Oaks?" Zachary asked.

"Do you remember the new students I told you guys about?" He began. "They're not like the other student. You remember the rabid dog rumors?" They both nodded. "These girls are the reason why they were taken down. You remember the gas station robbery the other day?" Only Gina-Marie nodded. "Well, they stopped the bad guys from killing any of the hostages. They're superheroes. They're the Powerpuff Girls."

"That's all well and good," Priscilla interrupted, "but one of them was in my house. She was in my room! I have important things in there that I don't want people to see. I want her to be dealt with as soon as possible."

"I will talk to her," Justin promised. "Go home Priscilla. Sorry band. You guys need to go home, too."

"And I bought new pants and everything," Zachary complained as he put the bass down.

"Come on," Gina-Marie consoled him as she took him by the arm. "I'll buy you a milkshake. How about that?"

"With a cherry?"

"With a cherry."

* * *

In a blue suit that had been given to him as a gift, David Wilson was in the news van, parked right outside of the Utonium home. It was late, no earlier than midnight. He motioned for the cameraman to set up as he opened the side door and slowly stepped out. The lights were all off, and he took it as his cue to begin recording.

"Hello viewers. This is David Wilson. No doubt that you've heard something or other about the Powerpuff Girls, but that's all. Rumors. Behind me is the home of John Utonium, scientist and creator of the Powerpuff Girls. Impossible? So it seems, and I hope that you follow me in my investigation into what really lies behind this door and what the reality behind the mystery of the origin of the Powerpuff Girls is."


	8. The Suspicion Disposition

Chapter 8: The Suspicion Disposition

The day had been like most other days. Miss Keane led the class, and now they were on their break. As usual, Bubbles spent it coloring while Buttercup sat in the corner going through all of the fights she had been in as a Powerpuff Girl. At the moment, the gas station rush was fresh in her mind. She thought about how it was done and how it could have gone better. Blossom not showing up in time aside, Buttercup wondered if it would have been more effective had they waited until they had identified the blond man who escaped before rushing the gas station. The only reason he got away was because Buttercup and Bubbles had to wait for Blossom, which led to the argument. Had they taken him down first, all three of them would have been in jail.

Blossom was not thinking on the past. She only thought of the future, mainly concerning Justin Bradley and Priscilla Moore. How much did she see? The question clearly haunted her more than it did her sister, who remained coloring without a care in the world. 10:00 rolled around. The students had already stopped expecting Justin to arrive, so Blossom was the only one attentive on the door when he came in.

"Hi Miss Keane," he said. Her eyes widened, as she did not expect him to come back.

"I didn't know you were coming."

"Neither did I," he said. "I was talking to some people yesterday, and I realized that my work here is important to me and not just for the community service hours."

"Well, I'm glad to see you back, of course," she said ecstatically. "You're the first TA I've had to actually return from a break. Make yourself comfortable. Your schedule hasn't changed since you left." Justin smiled at her and placed his bag in a corner. He shot over a look directly at Blossom. He saw her looking at him before turning back and walking off.

"We have to go," Blossom insisted, tugging at Bubbles' arm. She wasn't willing to budge away from her drawing, as crude and childish as it may have been.

"I don't want to go. I'm in the middle of something."

"We have to go," she repeated. "Justin's back. He looked at me. He saw me look at him. He knows we were in Priscilla's house. Not just you, but me as well. We have to get out of here."

"And then what?" Bubbles asked, looking directly at her but trying to keep the conversation to just above a whisper. "Tomorrow? Do we just skip class again? How long until it catches up to us, Blossom?" She didn't have a response, but she knew she didn't want to wait for Justin. In a second, Blossom was already heading quietly out the back door.

Bubbles glanced over at Buttercup, who was still sitting cross-legged with her eyes closed going over possible changes to the gas station rescue. Bubbles stood up and walked up the stairs that over looked the play area. She reached the second floor, keeping her eyes focus over the railing, down below to where her classmates played.

She continued down the hallway and upon looking up, found Justin just inches from her face. "Bubbles," he asked calmly, "were you at my girlfriend's house the other day? She seems to believe you were, and so does Tyler Osborn."

"I haven't seen you in so long, and this is how you welcome back and old friend?" she asked hypothetically. He didn't answer, and the look of expectation remained frozen on his face. "What possible reason could I have to want to go to your girlfriend's house? I didn't even know you had one."

"You're lying, and you're deflecting the question," he noticed. "And you're doing it to cover for someone. I know you were there. Priscilla distinctively saw a blue flash of light. She didn't see the one who ran behind her. Buttercup is still sitting in that corner, so I don't think it was she. Blossom was staring at me when I came in, and this is not the first time she's done this. Now I can't find her. Could you shed some light on this?"

"My lips are sealed."

* * *

At his office, Tyler Osborn sat at his desk trying to organize his files. In comparison, the file on Malcolm Jules was the thickest and most important. Tom Seaton wasn't talking, so Osborn would just have to wait for his trial. In the meantime, he had another minor business to contend with, and it was coming down the hallway being led by Officer Gedge.

"Thank you, Gedge," he said, nodding towards him. Gedge nodded back and left the room. The man he had led in was standing, and Osborn motioned for him to take a seat across from him. "I like what you've done with your hair, Mr. Wilson," he complimented.

"Why am I here?" Wilson asked. "I have a job to do."

"So I've heard," Osborn said as he began to peel a banana he had laid on the desk. "Actually, I've heard that you've been pulling some real overtime. If I had to guess, you're trying to get a scoop on the origins of the Powerpuff Girls to further your career."

David Wilson sat silently, trying to sift through Tyler Osborn's words. Why did he care? Going for a story wasn't illegal, and it didn't interfere with his job. He took a deep breath and tried to deliberate his response. Each time he breathed, Osborn leaned in a little bit more expectantly. "I don't think that going after a lucrative story is a crime, Mr. Osborn."

"On the contrary," Osborn said with a hint of sarcasm. "I encourage it. As you may or may not know, Elliott Meyer has created a little team, and informal Powerpuff Support Team, of which I am a member. Also on that little team is John Utonium."

"I don't see where you're going with this."

"Elliott Meyer told me to let it go, but I can't. John Utonium has done everything humanly possible to keep his past hidden. I know for a fact his name is not really John Utonium. It's a lie. Everything about him is a lie, and I find it really hard to support the Powerpuff Girls with him keeping secrets."

"It doesn't seem rational," Wilson explained. "Utonium created the Powerpuff Girls. Wouldn't he be the best to know how to handle the Powerpuff Girls?"

"He doesn't even consider them his children. They're just experiments to him. If he won't treat them as people, then I'll use them as tools to fight crime. He's in the way, and Meyer won't let me do anything about it."

"So since I'm not a member of this little exclusive Powerpuff Support Team, you want me to investigate John Utonium for you, and you'll help me investigate the girls' origin, and Elliott Meyer will be none the wiser. Are we on the same page now?"

"We're on the same page. If you want my suggestion, you can get the information straight from the horse's mouth. However, if that mouth refuses to speak, a little horse named Kathleen Keane may have just enough information, if not more."

* * *

Elliott Meyer was in his office, working diligently for the first time since his inauguration. Sarah stood by the door to ensure that no one would disrupt him during this wondrous moment that was just as much out of character as everything else he had done in the last week, ever since Melanie Reenie came back to the capitol building.

The thought just crossed her mind, and it put a sour note on the bright day. Making matters worse was Melanie Reenie herself with her hair beautifully straightened and a new suit that made her look like the professional she really wasn't. In her left hand she carried a manila folder, thin, but obviously containing around ten sheets of papers.

Melanie walked as if Sarah wasn't there, as if she could just grab the doorknob and interrupt the mayor as she pleased. "What do you want, Melanie?"

"I have information for Meyer," she replied.

"I'll give it to him," Sarah shot back. "I'm his Chief of Staff. It's my job."

"You're more than welcome to come in with me and listen in while I debrief the mayor, but I did come up with this information, and I believe I am entitled to give it to him. I certainly have the legal right since I am his special advisor."

"That's not even an official job title, Melanie."

"Doesn't have to be," she replied with a smile as she went for the doorknob. Deep down, Sarah wanted to smack the hand back, but she knew she didn't have that right and simply moved off tot the side and allowed Melanie to open the door. Meyer looked up to see both women in front of him, but kept his eyes mainly on Melanie Reenie. "Sir, I have some information that you might want to know."

"Go ahead. I'm listening."

"The Gangreen Gang has had operatives moving about in the area of Millennium Park. I'm not entirely sure why, but it's not exactly their territory, and it may be some kind of gang war situation we could be dealing with."

Elliott cringed at the thought, and replied, "Why Millennium Park? It's not exactly gang territory. Isn't that where a bunch of homeless people live?"

"Yes," Sarah interrupted. Meyer, who shot her a derisive look for having spoken, did not view her intrusion lightly.

Reenie continued. "I've also heard that the Gang may be working under new leadership these days. I don't have any more information, but it's what I've heard."

"Thank you Melanie," Meyer said with a smile. "I'll pass the information on to Tyler Osborn."

"You're not even going to question where this information came from?"

"It came from a man named Chris Isaacson. He's a reporter for Channel 8. He was doing an investigation in that area, and managed to get him to talk to me, and that's how I got the information. Nothing illegal transpired."

"I would never have assumed so," Meyer assured him. Now turning to Sarah: "You can leave."

* * *

Blossom was flying in any location that she could. Sporadically, she found herself barley crashing into tall buildings at every corner. Her near misses made her the spectacle of the all the pedestrians down below, and she could even recognize a few cars that had been following her for the last few minutes, just waiting for her to crash.

Her cell phone rang. Blossom stopped and looked around. She didn't recognize the area, only that there was a construction site behind her and a supermarket directly below her. She levitated herself onto the roof of the supermarket before checking the phone, seeing Bubbles' name on it. There was a 50/50 chance that it was actually Bubbles on the other end or Justin using her phone. Blossom took a deep breath and took the chance.

"Blossom," Bubbles said. Blossom let out a sigh of relief upon hearing her sister's voice, but her relief didn't last long. "Blossom." This time, it was Justin Bradley's voice. "Do not hang up," he demanded, almost telepathically. "The way I understand it, not only does Buttercup not know about your break-in, but she disapproves of it. If you hang up this phone before you tell me what I want to know, I will tell her everything."

The threat was powerful, and it kept her from closing the phone any more than she already had. Blossom was even afraid to move about and stood perfectly still on the roof of the supermarket until Justin spoke up again. "You'll probably be pleased to hear that Bubbles hasn't told me anything. I have her in time out, but she's still not speaking. She doesn't have to talk for me to know that you and Bubbles broke into my girlfriend's house the other day. I want to know why!"

Blossom remained silent for what seemed like an eternity. Justin had the patience of a saint as he remained silent as well. He was still on the line. His angry breathing could still be heard. "I can't answer that question," she finally said.

"That answer doesn't work for me, Blossom."

"I can't answer that question," she repeated.

"If you can't answer it, and Bubbles won't answer it, I'll just ask Buttercup."

"Wait! Justin!" It was a reaction to call his name, hoping it would pull him back. It did. He remained on the line, waiting for a better answer. "I was doing my job," she lied. "She was engaging in suspicious activity so Bubbles and I investigated it. The only reason I didn't tell Buttercup was because she disagreed with me."

"How do I know you're telling the truth?"

Blossom went out on a limb. "How you noticed anything strange with Priscilla? How you noticed any major changes in the last few days?"

It was Justin's turn to remain silent in deep thought. His silence worried Blossom more than anything. "She skates," he finally said.

"In her room, Bubbles and I found a pair of inline skates that were being augmented with some advanced technology. It's not illegal, but it is suspicious, so that is why Bubbles and I broke into the home of Priscilla Moore. We were investigated suspicious activity."

Justin didn't reply. There was a grunt that was barely audible before he hung up the phone. Blossom hung up her phone and wiped the tear sliding down her face.

* * *

David Wilson, meanwhile, kept a close eye on John Utonium as he passed from aisle to aisle in the supermarket. David Wilson thought he was sneaky, but the only person he was fooling was himself. Not only was Utonium completely aware of his existence, it was beginning to irritate him the lengths he went towards to try and hide himself from Utonium's sight, and how it wasn't working. For Wilson's sake, Utonium tried to look away, but Wilson would always do something that would catch Utonium's glance even if he tried to keep it away.

In the produce section, Wilson dove—literally—behind the watermelons. Utonium kept walking forward, pretending the dive was conspicuous, but Wilson had knocked over two watermelons while getting up, and Utonium looked instinctively. He turned back forward as if nothing had happened, and Wilson seemed to buy it. Later, in the frozen food section, he opened the door, trying to hide behind the glass door that led the freezer as if Utonium couldn't see him right through it. Wilson's knees were buckling under the cold, and Utonium had to muster all of his strength not to laugh.

Going down aisle number 3, Wilson took aisle number 2 and stared at Utonium through the cans, and that was the final straw. "David Wilson. Is there any specific reason why you've been following me all day? Please do not give me the silent treatment Wilson. I know you're there and you know that I know that you're there, so please do not try to insult my intelligence by remaining quiet."

"I'm just doing my grocery shopping."

"You see. That's what I consider an example of insulting my intelligence, because you actually think that you can fool me with that, which is just sad. However, I can insult you mobility, because if I'm not mistaken, you sprained your ankle on air a few weeks back. Can you run?"

Utonium left the cart where it was and dashed out of the aisle. It took Wilson a few second to realize what had just happened, and gave chase. Utonium was right. His leg wasn't fully healed, and he could feel the pressure Everytime he landed on his left foot. He had to keep his movement to a slow jog to keep from feeling the pain. Utonium, meanwhile, was already at the other end of the expansive supermarket.

Utonium had a smile—a smirk, rather—as he turned the corner in the produce section again. He glanced back to see that no one was following him. He turned forward just as he ran into someone standing in front of him. After a few quick seconds of confusion, Utonium picked himself up. The other person was already standing. "I'm sorry," he said as he picked his lead up to look her in the face. "I suppose I was acting a bit childish."

"I have that effect on men," she said. "I know you. You're John Utonium, creator of the Powerpuff Girls. I must introduce myself. I'm Melanie Reenie, Elliott Meyer's special advisor. I hope you don't mind me asking, but I don't have anything to do later. Would you like to do something with me tonight?"

"You're very direct," Utonium said. "As luck would have it, I haven't had anything to do in almost fifteen years now. Melanie, you've got yourself a date."

* * *

"Mrs. Bellum," Tyler Osborn said in mediocre surprise as she walked into the police station. Osborn was leaning back against the counter drinking from his mug of coffee. He hadn't done anything in the last hour, and was just hoping to keep it that way for the rest of the night. Of course, he lived in a town populated with Tom Seatons, Representatives, and Amoeba Boys. He was never going to have a good night's sleep. "Before you say anything, I'm going to assume that this has something to do with one of your employees and a possible connection to the Representative. Right?"

"It's not just possible," Sarah told Osborn as he hid his chuckle with a groan. "Melanie Reenie is a criminal. The only way she could have known that Tom Seaton was hiding out in the condominium was to have been with the Representative, which she admitted to. The only way she could have been with the Representative was to have been working with him. She hasn't admitted to that, but it's the only way."

"Even if what you say is true," he said, putting his mug down, "Elliott Meyer has already pardoned her for her crimes. I can't touch her even if I wanted to, and trust me, anyone with information regarding the Representative, or whomever he is a representative for I want in custody immediately."

"That's just it," Sarah demanded with a voice that meant business. "Elliott Meyer isn't being himself. He's actually taking command of his office, which I would normally support except that it's excluding me and listening only to Melanie Reenie."

Tyler Osborn took another sip from his mug. "I'll look into it, but I don't think that there is anything wrong going on."

"How can you say that?"

"Because you're the back-up," Osborn told her. "You weren't his first choice for Chief of Staff. Melanie Reenie was. The only reason she was removed was because her actions damaged his campaign. If she weren't fired, he would have surely lost the election. You were hired out of convenience. You were willing to do all of the work, and you weren't going to do anything that would harm his campaign. I'm sure Elliott Meyer is very grateful for all you've done but at the end of the day, Melanie Reenie is the person that he would rather have in that position. She was hired first for a reason."

"There has to be more than that. He's being rude to me and pretty much anyone that tries to get close to him if it's not Melanie Reenie. I don't know how to explain it, but I think Reenie has some sort of mental control over Meyer."

"You're really making some wild accusations, Mrs. Bellum."

"I know, but we know that the Representative has the ability to genetically alter the DNA structure of dogs to make them monstrous killing machines. I'm afraid that if she has in fact been working with the Representative that she may have used some sort of toxin to influence Elliott's mind."

Osborn sighed. "Why did you come to me with this? You have no proof, and I can't do anything without some proof. I need a warrant in order to search anything. If you want a quick, off-the-books search, you need to go back to the mayor's office, dial the number on the little red phone, and call the Powerpuff Girls."

"They don't investigate. They just destroy public property. I need the police."

"I don't have proof."

"Tom Seaton!"

"Only proves she was with the Representative, which she was already pardoned of."

"The pardon! Elliott would never do that!"

"He would for an old friend and colleague who's advise he respects. I don't agree with it, but the explanation is solid. I don't see foul play, and neither would the judge. You have two choices now, Mrs. Bellum. Either you learn to deal with Melanie Reenie as a coworker or get over your dislike of the Powerpuff Girls and call them. As for me, I'm going home." With that, Osborn finished off his coffee before leaving the police station.

* * *

The sun had set some hours before Justin Bradley pulled up to the front of the Priscilla Moore's mansion. He called, but she wasn't answering her cell. He called the house, but it was any number of her servants and butlers who answered, and they all would say the same thing: she was locked up in her room and gave specific instructions no to be disturbed.

"It doesn't seem real," he told himself as he arrived at the front door. He knocked. "Is Blossom really telling the truth? She was just investigating suspicious behavior. Yeah, she's acting differently—dare I say weird—but I wouldn't think suspicious. Does Priscilla really have super-skates?" Justin shut himself up as a butler answered the door and let him in.

"Miss Moore gave me specific instruction that she should not be bothered."

"That's fine, Bernard," he said. "Just pretend that I came in through an open window and that you didn't see me at all. I'm going in." Bernard nodded and Justin began to walk up the flight of stairs until reaching the third floor. Despite the size of the house, the family never invested in an elevator. The door to her room was locked, and Justin immediately began to pick the lock. After a minute, the door was open.

Justin walked in to see that her bed hadn't been made and neither her clothes been folded nor hung. She hadn't done any of it, and she hadn't let any of the servants in to do it for her. Justin moved through he pile of clothes and shoes strewn all over the floor, noticing that much of it was also hanging on the chandelier as well. Justin eyed the closet and made his way towards it. There, on the floor of the closet, were the inline skates with wires still hanging from it. "Oh my God," he mumbled. "Blossom was right. I have to apologize." Justin took his cell phone and took a picture of the skates.

He stood up, and looked closely at what was hanging on the wall of the closet right above the pair of inline skates. It appeared to be a full body suit of the same color of the skates, made of mostly metal with leather covering. "It's like a speed suit or something. What is she trying to prove?" Finally, a hand-drawn picture taped the wall next to the suit caught his eye. In the picture were three lines: one blue, one green, and one red. The lines led to the middle of the paper. At the end of the blank side was a yellow dot with three yellow lines leading front it towards the end of the lines.

Justin shuddered as soon as he realized what they were. "This isn't just a speed suit. It's a battle suit."


	9. The Grudge Nudge

Chapter 9: The Grudge Nudge

Around the circular table, Bubbles, Buttercup, and Justin Bradley sat with Buttercup's cell phone resting in the middle of the table. They glanced at each other, but no one really knew what to say. The silence bothered Buttercup more than anyone else. "Okay. I just want to point out my anger for being left out of the loop. Why was I not informed about the break-in sooner? I thought I was a Powerpuff Girl, too."

"Sorry," Bubbles said. It wasn't really an adequate response, but she couldn't really think of anything else to say.

"Who wanted the turkey on white?" Slim asked, carrying three plates with sandwiches over to the table. Justin raised his hand. Slim slid the plate over. "That means the ladies had the roast beef on rye." Assuredly, Slim slid over between Bubbles and Buttercup and laid the sandwiches down.

"Didn't I beat that guy up at the park?" Buttercup said. "Isn't he one of those Amoeba Boys?"

"Yeah, he is," Justin confirmed as he took a bite out of his sandwich. He looked up. The girls were looking at him, as if waiting for a complete answer. "The sandwich is safe to eat. These guys are terrible at crime, but they make the best sandwiches." Justin took another bite of his sandwich. Bubbles took a bite of hers, and Buttercup finally began to eat hers.

The cell phone rang. Lethargically, Buttercup put her sandwich down and answered the call, putting it on speaker for everyone to hear. "Go ahead, Blossom," Justin said. "The call is on speaker. Bubbles and Buttercup are here, too."

"Good," she said, trying to maintain a false monotone voice. "I went to Priscilla's house. It looks like a battle suit to me, as well. I left it there, though."

"Why?" Bubbles asked.

"Clearly, Priscilla Moore is not normal. Something must have happened to her to change her so much. Justin, I need you to pretend that you didn't see anything, at least until my sisters and I can figure out more about what happened to Priscilla. Is there anything you can tell us that might help?"

Justin sighed. The thought of keeping a secret from Priscilla did not bode well with him. He didn't know that it felt worse for Blossom. "The night before she became the expert skater I called her and she didn't answer her cell phone. Her father said she didn't get home until 11:00. She swears to be that she went directly home after the mall, but the mall closes at 10:00. Priscilla has an hour of memory that can't be accounted for. That was a little over a week ago, I think."

"Thank you. I'll pass the information on to Captain Osborn and see what he can come up with. I'll talk to you later."

"Wait. Blossom," Justin demanded. "Why aren't you here?"

"I don't feel comfortable talking to you in person. It would probably be best if we kept our distance as long as your girlfriend remains a suspect in an ongoing investigation." Blossom held her breath, hoping Justin wouldn't see through the thin lie, or at least not point it out.

"Okay," he finally said. This time, it was Justin holding his breath, waiting to see if Blossom could see through his thin lie. Blossom hung up her phone, and Justin let out his breath. "I'm going home," he told the girls. "I'll pretend I saw nothing, but I want to be kept updated on this. If you girls want something to do, try finding Candace and Lacey. They were with her at the mall." Justin took up his backpack and left the store.

* * *

The following morning, just like every other Friday morning, Kathleen Keane was at the house getting the girls ready for school. Utonium was watching television with Buttercup, who always waited until the last second to join her sisters at the door to leave for school. Finally, the girls were ready and as always, John Utonium didn't even look over.

Keane left the girls at the door and walked over to Utonium. "If you don't mind, I was thinking of coming back tonight and talking with you about the girls and their progress in school. Osborn also wants me to talk to you about The Representative as well."

"Rain check," Utonium replied, still watching television. "I have plans."

Keane forced back a smile. A slight chuckle managed to slip out. Utonium let out a sigh and looked at her. She was still holding back her laughter. "What kind of plans?"

"A date, if you insist on knowing."

Keane couldn't hold back the laughter any longer. Only inches from his face, Keane was laughing loudly and he was staring irefully at her until she finally calmed down. "A date? Ken, you don't have dates. The only person you've ever dated was I, and we haven't had a date in fifteen years. If I recall correctly, you missed that date."

Utonium kept the blank expression on his face. "I'm not kidding. I have a date because I, for one, have gotten over what happened fifteen years ago. You're free to come over some other time, though." Keane cracked another smile, but it felt uncomfortable to her this time. She nodded silently and returned to the girls before leaving.

* * *

Justin turned the corner at his high school hallway to see Zachary awaiting him at the end of the hallway. His eyes were strangely attentive on something at the end of the other hallway, yet he somehow was able to see Justin come around out of the corner of his eye and wave him over. Cautiously, Justin jogged over to where Zachary stood and stared in the direction where he looked. "Look who's back from suspension."

Justin looked through the crowd of people. He knew exactly whom he was talking about. Lucas' two-week suspension was long since over and Justin was ready to expect another confrontation and he wouldn't be able to rely on Blossom either. Eventually, Justin's eyes managed to focus on Lucas, wearing a green hoodie and trying to avoid eye contact with everyone he passed. He used to be popular, but it appeared that Lucas was going out of his way to avoid people, even people he talked with frequently before his suspension.

"He's different," Zachary noticed. "I don't think I've ever seen him wear green before. Oh crap! Is it St. Patrick's Day? I always forget!"

"It's not St. Patrick's Day," Justin assured him, "but you bring up a good point. It's odd and it's different. Well, whatever it is, it's not my problem. If Lucas wants to start something, I'll just defend myself again, and he'll find himself suspended again." Justin's eyes focused some someone else: Priscilla Moore skating around the same corner Lucas disappeared behind.

"Did you handle it?" she demanded to know. Her tone was forceful, and Zachary bounced back a few inches. "Those Powerpuff Girls were in my room. What are their names? Pickles? Banana nut? Did you handle them?"

"Their names are Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup."

"I was close. Stupid names, regardless. You didn't answer the question. Did you handle it?"

"I handled it," Justin lied as carefully as he possibly could. "It turns out that one of the girls followed me to school because she has a crush on me. She got jealous of you and broke in. I set her straight. It won't happen again." He kept his eyes directly on her eyes to check if she was detecting his deception. She just stared blackly back at him.

"OK," she said with a short smile. Her voice suddenly turned perky and child-like. "Thank you, Justin. I knew I could count on you." The bell rung and she kissed him before skating off behind her. Justin let out his held breath and Zachary raised an eyebrow before following.

* * *

There was a change in the line-up for school. For the first time, Blossom actually stayed in class, and it was Bubbles and Buttercup who left on important business. The surveillance on Priscilla Moore had turned into an investigation, and Blossom wanted to stay away from it. Bubbles and Buttercup knew they needed to know more about that night when Priscilla Moore lost an hour of her memory, and there was no one better to ask than to the two girls who were with her.

They weren't at school. It wasn't long until the girls found out that they were skipping. They asked a few classmates where their favorite places were, and the girls split up until Bubbles spotted them at a retail store a few block south. Buttercup quickly joined her.

Lacey was flipping through the clothes rank while Candace had her blonde head deep in a box of old clothing. Buttercup took her place directly behind Lacey and Bubbles stood directly behind Candace. Simultaneously, Bubbles and Buttercup grabbled the girls and spun them around in front of them. They were dazed, but at least they hadn't started screaming.

"Hello Lacey and Candace," Buttercup said. "You two are Priscilla Moore entourage. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Buttercup and this is my sister Bubbles. We're here on an investigation. Do you two remember the night of February 16th?"

They weren't talking. They were still awestruck. Bubbles waved her hand in front of their faces, but she still got no reaction. Buttercup groaned and kicked Lacey in the shin. She immediately grabbed it in pain and hopped for a few second. Candace snapped out of her daze to avoid the same treatment. "What about that day?"

"We need to know what happened," Bubbled reiterated. "In case you haven't noticed, your friend Priscilla Moore has been acting strangely recently. We think it may have something to do with that night."

"We haven't really noticed," Lacey replied snidely. "In case you haven't noticed, we're shopping in retail. Normally, we would just go to Priscilla's house and take whatever we want from her closet or, if we're lucky enough to go into the store with her, we'd just take something off the rack and have her pay for it without her realizing it."

"It's not stealing," Candace explained. "She never notices, so it's not like she was ever going to use it or anything."

"Anyways," Lacey continued, "we're shopping here because we've been banned from her house while she works on personal projects, and she hasn't been back to the mall since that day. We're not rich. If we want new clothes, we have to come here."

Buttercup grimaced. "The fact that you two are terrible people aside, is there anything unusual about that day that you think we should know about?"

"Yeah," Candace said. "We didn't see Priscilla until the next morning because we got scared off my some guy with a deep voice. He had dark hair and he was wearing a suit. Some white guy with a stern look on his face."

"Thanks," Buttercup replied. "We'll leave you two to your self-depreciation now."

* * *

Tyler Osborn, once again, found himself in an impromptu meeting at Elliott Meyer's office. Kathleen Keane did not receive an invitation and John Utonium denied his. He found himself alone on his side of the desk with Meyer seated across from him and Sarah Bellum and Melanie Reenie on either side of him. "I just want to be updated on all of the supernatural criminal activity we're facing," Meyer explained, even before Osborn was fully comfortable in his seat. "Let's start with the Representative. How much do we have on him?"

Osborn sighed. "His real name is Malcolm Jules. He's being controlled by an entity currently known as the higher power. So far, he has planned the murder of Mr. Grant as well as the attempted murder of Kathleen Keane and John Utonium. I'm sure that if I knew exactly what he did with Miss Reenie for which she was pardoned for, I could add it to the list."

"Then it's unfortunate that I'm not going to tell you," Reenie replied with a smile. Sarah shot her a glare.

"He has superhuman strength and appears to have numerous people under his employ, including people in government like Tom Seaton. I hope I'm not overstepping my boundaries in suspecting Melanie Reenie. I know I'm not the only one. Speaking of which, Mr. Seaton's trial will begin in a matter of days, and I am expecting The Representative to make an appearance." Osborn's cell phone rang, creating a sour look on Reenie's face. He looked to see Blossom's name and slipped it back into his pocket.

"Then there is the Gangreen Gang. As Miss Reenie pointed out, they've been spotted in the Millennium Park area. I check it out, and her information was solid. I spoke with Isaacson. He confirmed meeting with Miss Reenie. I don't have any verification on a new leader. However, I don't believe he's going to take the gang in any radical direction further than gangs generally go." Osborn's phone vibrated. He was getting a text message. Reenie rolled her eyes as Osborn read the text from Blossom:

Answer your phone!

Osborn stared at the phone silently for a few seconds and return to the conversation. "Then there have been some reports of attacks in the woods outside of Townsville--" It rang again. This time, Osborn stood up and answered the phone. "I really hope this is important, Blossom. I'm in a meeting with Meyer and his staff."

"Good. You can inform him of my ongoing investigation. You see, there's this boy named Justin—"

"I've suddenly lost all interest," Osborn interrupted.

"It's not like that! Well, it is, but that's not the point of the call. You see his girlfriend is named Priscilla Moore. From what I've been informed, Priscilla went to the mall with her friends on February 16th. She claims that she went directly home afterwards, but her father claims she didn't get home until an hour after the mall closed, meaning there is an hour missing in her memory."

"It's amnesia," Osborn explained. "It's actually not all that uncommon. There are numerous things that can cause it."

"OK, but the day after, she became a champion-class inline skater. According to her friends, they were scared off from the mall by some guy with a deep voice. I'm just going to skip the boring drama part in the middle and get to the point: Justin found a drawing in her closet of her attack my sisters and I not to mention something that looks a lot like a battle suit."

"I don't know what to tell you," Osborn said. "I'll pass it on to Officer Gedge, but just because it's weird doesn't automatically mean a crime has taken place, and a crude drawing and a suit that looks malicious isn't exactly a threat." Osborn turned back around to Meyer and his staff, waiting impatiently for him to finish his conversation. Just as he was about to hang up, he locked eyes with Melanie Reenie. "Actually Blossom. I'm glad you called. I'll have to call you back later."

Osborn hung up and sat back down across from Meyer. "Was that important?" Meyer asked.

"It was informative," Osborn explained. "Priscilla Moore."

"Is that name supposed to be familiar," Meyer retorted.

"It should be to Miss Reenie."

"It's not."

"It's not? Well, I kind of figured it would be hard to forget the girl you and Malcolm Jules experimented on the night of February 16th, which just so happens to be the night before you came to the office with Tom Seaton's location."

"What did you do?" Sarah demanded of Reenie eying her carefully, waiting for her deliberated response.

"Malcolm Jules hired me to concoct a serum to be used on a random girl. It was a chemical compound that he came up with. The chemical equation looked interesting to me, so I agreed to do it. I do not know what the chemical was meant to do. All I know is that I created it and injected it into the young girl Priscilla Moore."

"How could you?! You could've killed her!"

"I've heard enough," Osborn said as he took out a pair of handcuffs. "Melanie Reenie, you are under arrest—"

"No, she's not," Meyer replied, extending his arms and standing in front of Reenie, blocking Osborn's way. "If you remember correctly, I've already pardoned her for any and all crimes she committed while working with the Representative."

"But she could have killed someone!" Sarah replied.

"That doesn't matter to me," Meyer retorted soullessly.

"You may have been on to something with that mind control thing, Mrs. Bellum," Osborn openly contested. "I'm going to leave. You all have a good day."

* * *

The day turned to night and the girls found themselves home alone. John Utonium was out, just parking his car at the restaurant. He didn't really have any good suits. He wore a pair of black pants we once wore to his grandfather's funeral. That was ten years prior. Utonium found a random white shirt in his closet that he hadn't see in years either. It was the only thing with buttons in the closet, so he had no choice but to wear it. As he parked the car, he suddenly remembered where the shirt was from and it made his sick to his stomach to remember when he worked for them.

Utonium entered, and the hostess noticed his sour expression. "Do you have a reservation, sir?"

He looked at her. "I think you're in the wrong line of work. You don't do so well at hiding your disdain for people that don't appear that they belong here. For your information, I have a reservation. Utonium." She looked at him, trying and failing to disguise her intrigue. "Tell you what I'm going to do. I'll leave you here until you remember how to talk and I'll just find my date. Melanie Reenie. Has she come in? Never mind. I see her. I'll make sure to give you a good review on my way out."

Utonium passed her and sat down over to where Melanie was sitting. Her hair was once again different, but still as beautiful as ever. Utonium wasn't the only one noticing. "Glad to see you made it," she said. "I knew that you would."

"You should have let me pick you up. Do you not want me to know where you live?"

"That exactly right," she said with a smile. Anyone else would have thought she was joking, but Utonium made a mental note of it.

"Hello," the waiter said. Neither of them noticed he was there and neither of them looked up. "My name is Jerry. I'll be your waiter for this evening. Would you two like to hear the specials?"

"No," Utonium said. "Although, even though I'm sure you're not allowed to, could you take a pitcher of water and pour it over the man sitting by himself in the booth behind me? His name is David Wilson, and he won't leave me alone."

"Come on!" Wilson complained. "How did you know? I wasn't even talking. I wasn't even moving."

"You're facing the entrance. You were literally the first thing I saw, Mr. Wilson."

He groaned. Utonium smiled. Reenie just remained attentive on him in a creepy kind of way. Utonium looked at Reenie for a few seconds, but he couldn't keep himself staring at her. He felt uncomfortable and decided to pretend to continue looking at her while in actuality looking behind her to see if anything interesting was going on. There was. David Wilson wasn't the only person watching them.

There was a man with a soul patch in a black jacket and blue jeans sitting by him a table for two. He was pretending to read a book, but his eyes remained at one spot. Either he was trying to look at one word specifically instead of reading or he was faking, and Utonium guessed it was the latter. "We need to go," he said in a whisper. Reenie gave him an odd look. "We need to go. Someone is watching us and it's not Wilson."

Reenie opened her mouth to talk, but he raised his hand to silence her. He could see that the man was catching wind of his revelation. Utonium began to write something on a napkin rapidly before Jerry returned to take their orders. He was writing a lot. He finished after a few minutes, just in time for Jerry to return. "Are you two ready to order?" Utonium conspicuously handed Jerry the napkin.

He began to read. He glanced to his left and said. "I recommend the rainbow trout." That meant that Jerry could see the man in the black jacket. He read on. "In reality, you should get the tropical rice rather than the rice pilaf. It's much better." That meant there was in fact a back door they could inconspicuously use.

"Really?" that meant Utonium wanted to know where.

"You have a few minutes to use the bathroom now before I bring out your soups." It was next to the bathroom.

"Thank you." That meant thank you. Jerry nodded and left. "We should use the bathroom," Utonium said snidely as he grabbed Reenie by the arm and began to power walk over to where the bathrooms were. There was a glass door marked emergency exit. He looked around before pushing the door open. Luckily, no alarm sounded.

"Where are we going?" Reenie demanded to know.

"Away from here," he replied. "There was a man seated behind you watching us. He wasn't a reporter. He looked like he was surveillancing us. I don't know why. Higher power. Maybe he wants the formula I used to create the Powerpuff Girls."

"How do you know he doesn't want me?"

"No offense, but I'm much more important than you." Utonium continued to lead her down the back alley until he could hear other footsteps. He turned back. They alley only allowed for a one-way run and the footsteps were getting louder. "Go," he ordered. "He obviously wants me. I'll hold him off."

"I bet five bucks he's after me."

Utonium scoffed. "Yeah. Right. Okay. Easiest five bucks I'll ever make. Now go!" Reenie scurried off and Utonium held his ground as the man in the black jacket turned the corner, brandishing a gun in his left hand. "Who are you?"

"Quinn," he replied with a sinister smile. "The real question is who are you and where's the girl?"

"Forget her. It's me you want."

"No you're not. I was sent by The Representative to kill the girl." Utonium snarled at him. "I can't kill you because if I shoot you, someone will come running. I need to save the shot for the girl, so I you could, I need you to step aside." Quinn walked over and casually passed Utonium. He stared at him as he picked up the pace and continued down the alley.

Utonium doubled back to the restaurant and came in through the emergency exit. He slid into the kitchen and began to fumble through all the cabinet until he found what he was looking for. A big knife. A really big knife. Utonium dashed back out of the restaurant and back down the alley, passed where he met Quinn.

He found that the alley had more twists and turns than he thought. Finally, he found Quinn, walking slowly. He had found Reenie and he didn't want to alert her of her presence. "Quinn! Heads up!" He spun around. Utonium flung the knife at him and hit him directly in the chest. Utonium ran up and began to push it in even farther.

Reenie heard the commotion and came running. Utonium whispered, "Okay. I know you're dying and everything, but I need you to do me a favor. Can you just say you were after me?"

"What for?" he coughed out.

"You're dying anyways. You might as well do something nice for me."

"Screw you!"

"Two things," Reenie said. "First of all, I heard the whole conversation, and secondly, we should call an ambulance or something."

"Don't bother. He's dead. We can go to the hospital if you want or something. I'm okay with that."

"Yeah. That'd be good."


	10. The Cut Rate Double Date

Chapter 10: The Cut Rate Double Date

John Utonium didn't sleep a wink the previous night. The adrenaline was still pumping through his body from when he killed the hitman sent by the higher power to kill Melanie Reenie. He and Reenie arrived at the hospital together, but it wasn't long until they were put in separate rooms. Apparently, Reenie had been let go with a perfect bill of health, but Utonium was still getting refused every time he asked to leave and a guard was put at his door when he tried to leave without permission.

Finally, the reason he was being kept became clear to him. Tyler Osborn walked in. "Captain Osborn," he said with a sneer, "I see you are overstepping your boundaries yet again. I haven't been charged with a crime, and yet you keep me here against my will. I'd like to go home, and I'm not above knocking you out to get passed you."

"You're wired," he observed.

"I'm pissed."

"Yes," Osborn said, "but on top of that, you appear to still be running on adrenaline. How long ago did you kill the higher power's hitman?"

Utonium took a deep breath and glanced at the clock hanging on the wall to his left. The clock read 8:30, and he remembered arriving at the restaurant the previous night around 9:30. "It must have been around 10:00 last night," Utonium calculated. "What's your point?"

"I have a theory," Osborn admitted, "and I need you to either prove or disprove it. Elliott Meyer was acting strange the other day-stranger than usual, of course. He defended Reenie even after she admitted that she experimented on a teenage girl without knowing the consequences. Sarah Bellum believes that she may have some kind of mental control on Meyer."

"Sounds like a load of crap, Osborn."

"Does it? Can you remember why you agreed to go out with Reenie?"

Utonium was certain he had a reply until he opened his mouth. He stopping, trying to force his mind into remembering a reason, but coming up with nothing. Osborn spoke up; "This stays between you and me, John. Not a word to Meyer and not a word to Kathleen Keane." He smiled and left the room.

* * *

As they three of them-Bubbles, Buttercup, and Justin Bradley-sat at the table in the Corner shop, only thing had been decided. Bubbles loved rye bread. Aside from that, no one really knew what to do next. Justin admitted that he couldn't keep lying to Priscilla. The Powerpuff Girls needed to do something or else he would tell her.

They had been sitting in silence for about ten minutes when Slim came by with Justin's sandwich. "You ordered the sandwich without pickles, right?" he asked. Justin nodded. "Well, I put the pickles on anyways...but then I felt bad so I threw it away and made you a new one without pickles."

"Thank you, Slim," Justin replied. "That would have been really evil if you had done it, though."

"I know," he said. "I just haven't reached that level of evil quite yet. Another day, perhaps."

Justin took a bite out of his sandwich as he looked at the two girls who had yet to make a move. "Give us another day," Bubbles said. "Just one more day and we'll have something tangible to take to Captain Osborn."

"Like what? Apparently Captain Osborn doesn't consider a battle suit, hi-tech in line skates, and a crude picture as proof enough for a warrant. Besides, all of that information was found out during a break-in. Osborn can't use that in court even if he wanted to. Also, we don't even know if there's a crime going on here. I'm going to tell her the truth tonight."

"You're seeing her tonight?" Buttercup interjected. He nodded. "Dinner and a movie?" He nodded again. "I've got a perfect idea. You have friends, right?" Justin glared before nodding. "Get one of your single friends and tell him you're going to set him up with a girl that looks remarkably like Blossom but is most definitely not Blossom. Then, the girl who looks a lot like Blossom but totally isn't Blossom will start hitting on you, and then we will see how Priscilla reacts. I hope it's painfully.

"Buttercup," Bubbles chided. "You're just trying to get back at Blossom for not telling you about the break-in."

"And she deserves it!"

"I don't care why," Justin said as he stood up. "Priscilla doesn't know what you girls look like, so it sounds like a good enough plan to me. I'll tell Zachary to expect a girl in red. If no one shows up, I tell Priscilla everything."

Justin walked out of the Corner Shop and Buttercup gave Bubbles a confident look. "I don't know," Bubbles conceded. "Maybe Blossom will actually think it's a good idea."

* * *

"That's a terrible idea!" Blossom shouted. She was flying in no particular direction, just trying to get away from her sisters and their insane idea to goad Priscilla Moore into action. "There is no way I'm going to do that! How can I face Justin Bradley? After all the lies I've told him? Especially considering how I feel about him? How could you even suggest that, Buttercup?"

"Apparently, you don't know me," she replied with a sneer. Blossom growled at her and began to fly faster and yet still without an endpoint.

Buttercup didn't care to catch up, but Bubbles kicked it into high gear to get right up next to her sister. "I know it's a bad idea, but it might be our only hope. Justin can't keep lying to Priscilla. He does love her, after all. This is difficult for him."

Blossom didn't want to hear any more from Bubbles. She halted abruptly and began to fly in the other direction. Bubbles keep on her heels. Buttercup lagged behind, clearly getting tired of all this needless drama. Blossom suddenly changed direction again, this time in the direction of Elliott Meyer's office.

Blossom crashed through a window and Bubbles came in through the same window behind her. Buttercup took the opportunity to crash a different window into the office. Elliott Meyer was alone in his office, playing minesweeper on his desktop computer. He looked up only after having lost his current game. "What brings you to my office today, girls?"

"My sisters are picking on me!" Blossom shouted.

"We are not!" Buttercup replied.

"Let's start from the beginning, shall we?"

Bubbles spoke up. "Well, there's this boy named Justin who has an apparently crazy girlfriend named Priscilla who is out to get us. Buttercup suggested that Blossom go undercover on a double-date to perhaps catch Priscilla in the act."

"Hrm," he said before turning to Blossom. "And you can't do that because you have feelings for the boy, and you're not sure if you can keep your feelings in check through the evening."

"No!" she shouted. "You don't get it! Nobody gets-hold on. That's exactly right. How did you know?"

"Hey, I may not know how to do my job, but I do know a thing or two about high school drama."

"What's your opinion?" Buttercup inquired. "Keep in mind that she is a Powerpuff Girl, and she does have a duty to prevent all types of threats in this city."

"Buttercup does have a point," Meyer said. "You are a superhero, and that means you have responsibilities that extend beyond your own preferences. Sometimes, you have to put what you want aside in favor of what's best for the community."

"But," Bubbles defended. "She is still a teenage girl, and forcing her into this will be a blow to her self-esteem that could cripple anyone, even a Powerpuff Girl."

"Bubbles has a point as well," Meyer replied. "She is still human, when all is said and done. My conclusion? I have no conclusion. I'm not a teenage girl with superpowers. How am I supposed to know what to do?"

Blossom sighed and slinked back to the broken window. "Blossom!" Buttercup shouted tersely. "If you don't show up to that restaurant tonight, you're not my leader anymore." Blossom didn't even glace back as she flew out the window.

* * *

Meanwhile, downstairs in the cafeteria of the capitol building, Melanie Reenie sat down next to Sarah Bellum, who was trying to eat her granola bar and a small container of white rice-leftovers from the previous night-in peace. "I don't like you," Sarah said, "so why do you sit next to me?"

"I don't want you to not like me," Reenie replied.

"You're a criminal."

"We're all criminals," Reenie asserted. "My crimes just happen to be against the law. I have done some bad things in the past. That much is true. Dare I say it, I've even done things that I've felt were morally wrong. Still, my _modus operandi _has been the same."

"Greed?"

"Don't say it so negatively. Greed is good, after all. Everyone wants to make money. Employees don't strike in an effort to win lower wages. People don't backstab each other in the office for a demotion. No one refuses a raise, no matter how insignificant it may seem."

"All you're telling me is that you will leave once the bad guys offer you a higher paycheck."

"It's not as simple as that. Money is useless if I'm not alive to spend it. As you know, my last paycheck came from the higher power. What you don't know is that he promised to enact revenge for having switched sides, and he went through with his promise last night." Sarah's eyes widened, but she tried to keep them hidden. "Luckily, I was out with John last night, and he's quite handy with a knife."

"What's your point, Melanie?"

"I'm scared. I'd be dead right now if it weren't for John. The higher power is out for blood and as long as he's out there, I have no choice but to work for the good guys. Like it or not, I'm stuck with you just as much as you're stuck with me, so I suggest we make do. Instead of butting heads every day, why don't we put those heads together and try to come up with something beneficial?"

"Like finding the higher power?"

"As if I'm not in enough danger. I was thinking more along the lines of the Gangreen Gang in Millennium Park. Deal?"

Sarah shook her head silently before returning to her leftover rice.

* * *

Kathleen Keane pulled into the driveway of the Utonium house to find the front door slightly ajar. This was not an entirely unusual occurrence as of late. Ever since the Powerpuff Girls made their presence known, Utonium had proved himself to be completely unafraid of leaving himself exposed.

Nonchalantly, Keane slid through the door to find both the living room and the kitchen completely devoid of any life. Now, Keane was beginning to become perturbed. "Ken?" she called. "John," she called with less enthusiasm. "Ken, where are you?"

She suddenly stopped as she saw the door to Utonium's lab in the basement also ajar, which sent Keane into a sudden exasperated state of shock. Slowly, she pushed the door open and tip-toed down the stairs, trying to keep a good five feet or so visible both in front of her and behind her.

She turned the corner at the bottom of the steps, trying to keep an eye out for something she didn't know. She could hear sounds coming from the end of the lab where John kept all of the chemicals in a locked cabinet. Still creeping slowly, Keane turned another corner to catch sight of the table with several of the chemicals laid out and a beaker sitting on a low flame from a Bunsen burner.

There was no one to be found, so Keane moved closer to the counter to try and identify a bottle at the end of the counter that didn't look like any of the bottles that the chemicals came from. She picked it up and read the label: _Sedusa_.

"Kathleen!"

The sudden sound caused her to lose her grip on the bottle, but an unknown hand quickly appeared to catch it before it fell. She took a few seconds for her heart rate to come back down before seeing John Utonium in front of her, holding the bottle. "You know," he said while flipping a switch on the wall, "you can turn the light on down here."

"What are you doing here, Ken?"

"Are you asking me why I'm in my own lab in my own house?"

"You know what I mean. You haven't touched those chemicals since the girls were born. What, may I ask, suddenly piqued your interest?"

"Since when does a scientist need a reason for science?" he asked, placing the bottle on the table.

"What's in the bottle? What's Sedusa?"

Utonium looked at the bottle, and then looked back at Keane. "Sorry Kathleen, but that's between myself and me."

"Are you really not going to tell me?"

"If I'm right, I'll tell you all about it later." Utonium took Keane by the arm, led her upstairs and locked the door behind her.

* * *

David Wilson was backstage at the studio. David Wilson was in the green room just two minutes later. Five minutes later, David Wilson was coming out of the producer's office, and it was not a pleasant conversation. David Wilson promised him a Powerpuff story, and he had yet to deliver, and Tyler Osborn arrived to make it much worse.

"Mr. Wilson," Osborn said it a jovial tone. Wilson was clearly not excited to see his arrival and Tyler Osborn didn't care. "We need to talk, Mr. Wilson."

"I really can't talk to you right now, Captain Osborn," he said. He would never have thought to speak so rudely to Tyler Osborn under normal situations, but this was not a normal situation. "On top of my regular work, most of which is past deadline already, I promised my producer a story on the Powerpuff Girls and so far, I've got nothing. Now, you all but force me to investigate John Utonium for you, and that's coming up empty."

"I see your problem, Mr. Wilson," he said, grabbing a glazed doughnut. "It appears to me that you have grossly overrepresented your skills as an investigative reporter. I think you're going to find that such errors don't occur without consequences."

"What are you talking about Osborn?"

"You failed to find me anything on John Utonium, so you're off the case effective immediately."

"You call that bad news?" he asked critically as he took a quick drink of water. "That's a load off my mind, actually."

"I haven't gotten to the best part yet," Osborn replied, taking another bite out of his doughnut. "I want you to stay away from the Utonium family from now on."

"I have to give my producer a story, Osborn!"

"You're young, Mr. Wilson. One day, you'll learn to accept the consequences of your actions. Until then, I wish you all the luck." Osborn finished the doughnut and left the television studio.

* * *

"Aren't you proud of me?" Priscilla asked. "Proud" wasn't exactly the word that was coming to mind as Justin pulled into the pizza buffet parking lot. Justin was certainly astonished by her, but he couldn't muster up the courage to be proud of her in any way.

First, Priscilla Moore wasn't dressing like Priscilla Moore. The previous girl would not have been caught dead with any article of clothing that cost any less than a hundred dollars. Now, Priscilla More was wearing a pink Wal-Mart tank-top with a generic design and Capri jeans. Her hair hadn't been straightened and she did not insist on taking the limo. She also managed to take her in line skates off for one night.

Justin didn't answer her question. He stepped out of the car and walked around to open the door for her. Priscilla was already standing on the parking lot asphalt when he reached the other side of his car. "I can see Zachary waiting for us at the door. Shall we go in?" Justin nodded.

The couple came up the front door and met up with Zachary, who was overly nervous for his blind date. "Don't be so worried," Justin advised as they went inside. "It's just a blind date. She doesn't really date much, so she's not going to judge you. She might wind up paying more attention to Priscilla and me, anyways."

"How do you know her?" Priscilla asked. Justin was surprised by the question. "This girl that you're setting up with Zachary. How do you know her?"

"Her sister," he said. "Her younger sister is a student at Pokey Oaks. I met her last week and she has a lot in common with Zachary, so it seemed only logical that I set up the blind date for them."

"That's my Justin," she said with an overtly cute tone of voice. "Always looking out for the less fortunate." They took their seat at the booth that Justin and Priscilla generally took, and each of them ordered water-a change for Priscilla, who generally ordered at least three different kinds of soda. The three of them went ahead and grabbed themselves a plate full of pizza, and Blossom had yet to show up.

"I guess she's not coming," Justin muttered under his breathe and he took a bite of his pepperoni pizza. "Priscilla, I have something to tell you."

Priscilla looked up from her slice of pizza, wide-eyed and waiting for something monumental. "I just wanted to say that...Zachary's date has arrived." That last part was said in a despondent and confused tone. Blossom wasn't approaching the table. Buttercup was, wearing a purple t-shirt and blue jeans. Bubbles was sitting inconspicuously at a table behind them.

"You're not who I expected," Justin muttered. "Where's your sister?"

"She couldn't make it," she said loudly as she slid in next to Zachary. "Uncontrollable bowel movements. You wouldn't believe it. So she sent me in her place so ol' Zachary wouldn't be lonely. Hi, I'm Betty."

"Hi, I'm Zachary-"

"I don't care," she interrupted without a single glance at him. "So you must be the pompous Priscilla everyone Justin goes on about."

"Pompous?" she aspirated in shock.

"I never said pompous," Justin defended after she gave him an accusatory glare.

"That's my word," Buttercup admitted. "I'm a pretty good judge of character though."

"Excuse me-"

"What is it, Zachary?" Buttercup was clearly annoyed by him. "What do you want? Do you want attention? Do you need attention? Do you have an inferiority complex and constantly need reassurance that you're a good person? I don't care about you. I don't care what happens to you. I'm not attracted to you. You have acne all over your face, not the cute kind, and your hair is a disheveled mess. You clothes, which look like that were pulled from the dumpster, don't match. Your eyes are brown: ugly color. And your breath sticks. Trust me; I can smell it from here."

Priscilla spoke up again. "You are quite different than the way Justin described your sister. Are you sure you're related?"

"By name only," Buttercup proudly proclaimed. "Also, we think she has some kind of mental disorder."

"Mental disorder?" Priscilla said, aghast.

"Yeah, she's really not supposed to be talking to other people. What did the psychiatrist say? Oh yeah! 'A possible danger to herself and others.' Something like that."

"Really?"

"Oh yeah. It's pretty bad, I think."

"Betty!" Justin yelled. "Do you want some pizza? Let's go get some pizza." Justin stood up and forcibly pulled Buttercup over to the pizza buffet line. "What are you doing?"

"Having a little fun, Justin. Relax. Blossom has been a real fart of a leader and I'm just getting my punches in while I can."

"You're here on a mission. Either get on with whatever you're planning, or you can just leave."

"I've got it covered, Justin," she assured. "Bubbles and I have got this whole thing planned out from start to finish. It's foolproof."

"Does your plan require Bubbles?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"Turn around, fool." Buttercup spun around to see that the booth where Bubbles had been sitting was completely vacant.

"Huh. Well, I guess I'm ad libbing it, then."

* * *

Bubbles was on her own spontaneous mission. While sitting with her back to Justin and Priscilla, she caught sight of the blond-haired thief from the gas station robbery running passed the building through the window. She thought about her decision for a few seconds until Justin pulled Buttercup up from the table and took her over to the pizza buffet line to talk privately.

Bubbles took her opportunity and sped off in search of the blond thief, but quickly found that the search wasn't going to be as quick as she had figured. She stopped at the corner of the street and asked a woman in a blue hat if she had seen a homeless blond man run passed her, but Bubbles only received a negative answer. She doubled back to another street corner she passed and as the same question of a construction worker on break. She got the same answer.

Bubbles shot up in the sky and analyzed the area. It was too dark to identify anyone on the ground, but she could finally see that there were several twist and turns in the back alleys that the blond thief could have taken. On top of that, Bubbles couldn't even be sure that she had even seen him.

She had been thinking about him only seconds before he passed. Bubbles came to the conclusion that she had probably imagined him, and even if she didn't he had gotten away again. She turned to return to the pizza place only to realize she had already gotten herself lost.

* * *

Justin knew Buttercup to be the farthest thing from subtle, but even he didn't expect Buttercup's definition of "ad libbing" to go to such an extent. "So Priscilla," she began after having swallowed another bite of her pizza while still ignoring Zachary. "I understand that you're crazy. Care to comment?"

"What?"

"I'm not judging," Buttercup replied calmly. "I'm just saying what I've heard."

"What exactly did you hear?"

"Nothing too out of the ordinary. You've eschewed everything related to your fancy lifestyle, you've taken to in line skates, you've built a battle suit in a matter of weeks, and you've developed an obsession with the Powerpuff Girls and are planning to annihilate them."

She shot another accusative glare at Justin. Zachary has slinked into his chair as far back as he could. "Did you hear all that from Justin?"

"I've got my sources."

Priscilla stood up and approached Buttercup. "I want to know your sources."

Buttercup stood up and looked Priscilla dead in the eyes. "What are you going to do about it?"

The girls stood motionless for a few seconds until Zachary slowly moved and slid between them. "Okay Priscilla. I think you may be overreacting."

Without skipping a beat, Priscilla pulled a knife from a hidden pocket in her jeans and put it to Zachary's throat. Now, even Justin was up. Everyone in the building was watching them. "How about now, Zachary? Am I overreacting now?"

Buttercup continued to stand motionless until Priscilla took her eyes off of her for a second. The girl took advantage for the two second window and grabbed Priscilla's arm and shoved Zachary onto the ground with her other arm. Priscilla was wide-eyed, but it wasn't long before she figured out what was going on. "You! You're one of them!"

"Hi. I'm Buttercup. Pleased to meet you." Buttercup shoved Priscilla back with the palm of her free hand, sending her flying across the room and against the wall. Priscilla pushed the hair out of her face and began to walk confidently towards Buttercup, who easily grabbed her by the throat and lifted her off the floor. "I've got to give you credit. Most bad guys run away at this point."

"Buttercup!" Justin yelled. "Put her down!"

"Why?" Buttercup turned her head to Justin as she asked this, giving Priscilla enough time to pull a syringe from another hidden pocket and shoving the needle into her neck. Buttercup let her go immediately, having lost control of her muscles. "You bitch," she mumbled before losing control of her leg muscles and dropping to the floor.

Priscilla Moore looked around and saw everyone, even Justin, staring at her in shock and disbelief. Her eyes darted back and forth from person to person until she could no longer take up and bolted out the door. "Justin," Buttercup said on the phone. "If you could do me the favor of rolling me over and calling my sisters to come pick me up, I'd really appreciate it."

* * *

The girls were sitting together in their living room that night. Buttercup had finally regained control of her muscles. Unfortunately, Priscilla Moore was nowhere to be found, and her battle suit wasn't at her house when Bubbles check it out. Priscilla Moore was gone, and they didn't know when she was coming back. They didn't even know if they would be ready for her.

Bubbles and Buttercup had lost confidence in Blossom as their leader. For having ditched Buttercup at the pizza buffet and having failed the find the blond thief, Bubbles had lost confidence in herself. Buttercup had lost confidence in humanity.

The three walked upstairs together in complete silence. They didn't realize just how close they were to self-destruction, but it would soon become apparent to everyone.


	11. The Robbery Mockery

Chapter 11: The Robbery Mockery

The girls remained as much on opposite sides of the Pokey Oaks building as they could. Buttercup kept herself in a corner on the first floor while Bubbles was on the other side of the room at the tables, coloring as she usually did. Blossom was on the second floor of the building where the children were generally not allowed.

This is how it had been for the last few days. The girls would only be within view of each other if Miss Keane made the children come together. Other than that, they remained separate at home, at school, and on patrol.

Justin Bradley wasn't coming back to Pokey Oaks, and now Miss Keane knew why. Everyone knew why. Tyler Osborn berated the girls for keeping their investigation on Priscilla Moore a secret. Had they gone to him sooner, she would have been in custody instead of in hiding. The girls screwed up.

Now, the girls were just looking forward to getting through each day as it went on, trying to forget that they were supposed to be a united team against the crime in Townsville. Elliott Meyer wasn't going to let them forget. The Powerpuff phone on the table was ringing, and none of the girls were rushing to answer it. It was beginning to disrupt the other children, so Keane finally answered it.

"Good morning Meyer," she said. "You know I don't approve of this phone in my school, but I'll ignore that, as I am generally expected to ignore all the things I disapprove of."

"You're snippy this morning, Kathleen," Meyer retorted. "Snippier than usual, I mean. What's up?"

"John is being a douche. Nothing out of the ordinary. What's the emergency?"

"Emergency?"

"Yes. Emergency. The reason you called?"

"Oh, right! Emergency! If the girls are available, there's a bank robbery downtown. First National. Osborn has it surrounded."

Keane stepped away from the phone and stood in the middle of the room. "Robbery! First National. Anyone want it?" There was silence. "No? Should I take it then?"

"I'm on it," Buttercup said, standing up.

"I'll get it!" Blossom shouted from the second floor.

"You only want it because I said I was going to get it!" Buttercup exploded. She didn't stick around for a reply, and Blossom angrily followed Buttercup out the door. Keane looked around to see that Bubbles was no longer at the table coloring either.

* * *

Sarah Bellum and Melanie Reenie had commandeered a meeting room for the day. Inside, they had several manila folders full of information on the Gangreen Gang, both past and present. Photos of known members were tacked onto the bulletin board and hypotheses about the gang's next move were written on the white board.

"What are they doing?" Sarah muttered as she put one folder down and picked up another. "What are we doing? We're not police. Should we even be doing this?"

"Absolutely," Reenie encouraged. "Tyler Osborn has his hands full with the higher power. We're doing him a favor, actually. We just have to take it one step at a time. Let's start at the beginning. I'm not from around here, so what can you tell me about the gang in the past?"

"Not much, really. The gang used to be pretty low on the radar. They didn't used to be that big. They were just a couple of punks who liked to skip school just a few years ago. From what I understand, membership has skyrocketed in the past few weeks or so, and word on the street is that they have a new leader."

"New leader," Reenie interrupted. "What do we have on him?"

"Nothing," Sarah explained. "It's like he came out of nowhere. He didn't rise up through the ranks. He just came in and took over. I don't have a name, but the general consensus is that he's muscular and African-American. Also, it seems that he's surrounded himself with new lieutenants-younger lieutenants-than previous leaders. However, that's just what is known by word of mouth. I can't confirm any of that."

"That's a good start," Reenie said with a smile. Her cell phone began to ring. He looked at it, mumbled "John" under her breath, and answered the phone. "John. How are you? I called you yesterday and you didn't answer. I feel like I haven't seen you since the restaurant."

"You haven't."

"And why is that?"

"I've been busy. I've been doing some lab work that has come up."

"It's convenient how lab work suddenly comes up when you start seeing me. If you're so busy, then why are you calling?"

"I just have a question for you. Are you busy tonight?"

"I don't believe I am. However, be prepared because Meyer is going to call a surprise PST meeting this afternoon. I'll be free afterwards."

"I'll see you tonight," he said before hanging up.

"Are you and the professor getting serious?" Sarah asked.

"I don't even know if we're together," she replied. She picked her bag up from the table answer headed for the door. "I'm heading out right now. I think I have an idea on how to deal with the Gangreen problem as well as my problem."

"Your problem?"

"Tyler Osborn is trying to get rid of me, and I know he's spoken to John. I intend to make myself indispensable. I'll see you this afternoon."

* * *

The Powerpuff Girls landed outside of First National Bank, but Tyler Osborn was nowhere to be seen. Instead, a young Sergeant named Zane Gedge appeared to being charge. Gedge was very youthful looking and appeared to have a positive outlook on most things in life. The girls had never spoken to him personally, but they knew him to be a man that Tyler Osborn trusted the most among his officers.

"Where's Osborn?" Bubbles asked.

"He left when he found out you were coming," Gedge admitted. "You can't blame him. You screwed up that whole Priscilla Moore deal."

"How so?" Blossom shot back.

"Firstly, you have a crush on the boy. That's a conflict of interest. Secondly, all the evidence you collected-the battle suit, the hi-tech skates, the crude drawing-were discovered during a break-in. None of that would have been admissible in court. Lastly, your idea of going undercover was dangerous and poorly planned. Someone could have gotten hurt and Priscilla still got away. Captain Osborn already has the higher power, Melanie Reenie, the Gangreen Gang, and the constant attacks in the woods outside of Townsville and you girls just added something new to that list."

"What would he have preferred us to do?" That from Buttercup.

"His exact words: Stick to the beat-downs. Leave the investigations to the professionals. That, of course, brings us back to our current situation. There are two suspects inside. They're armed, but they have their weapons holstered, and they don't know you're here. All you have to do is speed in there and take them out. They won't even have time to react."

"I'm in charge," Blossom said. "I'll lead."

"No, I'll lead!" Buttercup insisted. Fighting each other for supremacy, the two sisters ran inside. Bubbles, shaking her head despondently, flew in the opposite direction.

* * *

Inside, the girls completely ignored the two thieves and instead began to fight each other until Blossom managed to shove Buttercup away from her and against the left wall where several of the hostages were standing. "Very mature, Blossom!"

"You're the one acting like a child!" she shot back. "A mature person would respect their leader!"

"Hey!" the taller robber shouted with his gun now in his hand and pointed at one of the two groups of hostages. "What's going on?"

"Could you not interrupt?" Blossom shouted. "I'm trying to reason with my sister here!"

"Reason this!" Buttercup got back up and lunged at her sister, but Blossom sidestepped and shoved her against the other wall next to the other group.

"Would you stop it!" the tall one shouted again. "You're starting to make me nervous, and I get trigger-happy when I'm nervous!"

Buttercup stood up again and looked at the agitated man, and then looked at the younger, shorter one behind him. She looked closely at both of them until she realized how closely they resembled each other. "You two are brothers, aren't you? What's your name?"

"Pascal," the shorter one replied.

"Idiot," the taller one said. "You're not supposed to tell them your name!"

"What does it matter?" Pascal said. "The cops have us surrounded, and we're face to face with the Powerpuff Girls. We're not getting out of this." He turned back to Buttercup. "My name is Pascal Walker and this is my older brother Rick Walker."

"Let me ask you a question, Pascal. Do you approve of how your brother is handling the situation?"

"No, I guess," he replied after mulling it over for a few seconds. "We're going to get arrested, so he must have done something wrong."

"And if he did something wrong, do you think you should still listen to him as a leader?"

"Well..."

"Shut up, Pascal!" Rick shouted.

"Yeah," Blossom added. "Shut up, Pascal!"

"Excuse me?"

"If your brother is your leader, then it's your duty as his brother to follow him. Clearly, if there was a mistake that was made, it was because you didn't support your brother as you should have!"

"You damn right he didn't," Rick replied. "Every time I have a job, he has to complain about it. Finally, I get him to agree on a job, and here we are, surrounded by police because he wouldn't follow my ordered correctly."

"Maybe," Buttercup interjected, "you don't know how to lead. Maybe Pascal didn't follow your orders because they were stupid orders."

"Yeah," Pascal said with more enthusiasm. "Rick put too much emphasis on weapons and taking hostages. If he had just listened to me and focused on speed and efficiency, we would be long gone by now."

"Shut up Pascal!" Blossom and Rick said in unison.

"I don't have to listen to you!" Buttercup and Pascal replied in one voice.

Then, the phone on the counter rang. The looked at each other until Blossom walked over and answered it. "Hello?"

"Hi," Gedge said. "This is Sergeant Gedge. Do you remember me? I'm the guy who told you to go in and take the guys out. I don't remember asking you to trade recipes."

"We've got it under control," Blossom insisted. Gedge tried to stammer out a response, but Blossom hung up and returned to her argument.

* * *

Melanie Reenie would be lying if she said she didn't feel frightened walking through one of the more unsavory parts of town. She was wearing a black overcoat and kept her hair tied in a ponytail to avoid standing out too much. The sun was still pretty high in the sky and she knew that she must have had a police officer or two still following her since Tyler Osborn ordered her to be followed after the assassin at the restaurant. It didn't matter how plain-clothed they were. People in this part of town could tell if you had a badge on you. They just knew.

Reenie managed, after trying several times, to ditch the two cops tailing her. After a while, they realized what she was doing and came to the realization that they didn't care about her life as much as their own and simply returned to the station. Reenie made sure one last time that she wasn't being followed before entering a run-down apartment building. It wasn't completely abandoned. There was a landlord and he did charge rent, but he was a drunk and it was easily to convince him that they already paid their rent that month.

Reenie climbed three flights of stairs and took light steps to avoid falling through what barely passed for stable floor. She kept walking until she reached room 329. The door was ajar, and Reenie could hear a conversation already in progress.

"We've been through this several times already, Christopher," one man said in a calm yet commanding voice. "I've given you enough breaks already. As far as people in my profession go, I've given you more breaks that I really have to."

"I don't have your money yet!" Christopher interrupted.

"I realize that, Christopher. That's why I'm here. I'm here to collect. Of course, I will feel free to take all of your things and see how much money I can get for them at the pawn shop, but looking around, I'd be lucky to get a couple hundred, and you owe me a lot more than a couple of hundred."

Melanie Reenie let out a small "yes," then immediately covered her mouth, hoping the two in the room did not hear her.

"Come on," Christopher continued to plead. "You need to give me more time."

"No Christopher," he said slightly more sternly. "I don't have to give you anything. Now we need to get going on our little field trip. We can go easily or not, but we are going. If you force me to, I will drop you here. No one will even notice until it starts to stink, and in this building, an unusual smell wouldn't be noticed for several weeks, I would assume."

"Please!"

"Let's go, Christopher."

Melanie took a few quick steps back as the two of them, a taller man leading a relatively short young man in a grey jacket out the door. They didn't even look at Reenie as they walked down the hall, which irked her momentarily before speaking up. "Excuse me. Mr. Loan shark?"

He turned his head and gave a quick smile. "Hello, Miss. I'd help you out if I had time, but I'm unfortunately on a very tight schedule and I'm behind as it is, so I must cut this conversation short."

"How much does he owe?"

"Him?"

"Yes. Him."

"I don't think that's any of your business, miss. I really have to go now."

"How much does he owe?" Reenie asked again.

The loan shark sighed. "He owes $3,590." Reenie nodded and began to fish in her pocket for her wallet. The loan shark shook his head. "I don't accept checks."

Reenie smiled. "I don't either." She opened her wallet and began to count out hundred dollar bills until she counted $3,600. "I don't have any smaller bills."

The man took the bills and checked each and every one of them for authenticity before sliding them in his pocket. Christopher couldn't believe what he was witnessing. The man was satisfied and even pulled out his own personal wallet to find a ten dollar bills to provide Reenie with her change.

"This worked out well. I believe this is yours," he said while pushing Christopher toward Reenie. "I just added a lot of time to my day. I'm back on schedule. I really must thank you. Good-bye Christopher. I hope we don't meet again."

Soon, he was off the floor and it was only Reenie and Christopher. He opened his mouth to speak, but she stopped him. "I know. You're Christopher Mills. I know. I just saved your life. I know. You are eternally grateful. I'm glad. I need you to do something for me."

"I'd give my life for you."

"I'm glad to hear it."

* * *

Bubbles was at Millennium Park because she didn't want to bicker like her sisters. Bubbles was at Millennium Park because she didn't want Tyler Osborn to be disappointed in her. Bubbles was at Millennium Park mainly because she didn't want to be disappointed in herself.

Bubbles had let the blond thief get away twice and she wasn't about to let him kept slipping out of her grasp. She knew that the homeless, especially those hiding from the law, come together at Millennium Park. The blond thief had to be here.

However, Bubbles wasn't having any luck. When she introduced herself to the local homeless population, they would greet her kindly and offer her any help they could. However, when she began to describe the blond thief, the homeless either feigned ignorance or simply turned cold. As time went on, the word got out on why Bubbles was in the area and the homeless simply refused to talk to her.

Bubbles wanted to keep herself restrained. She knew it wouldn't turn out well for her if she began to turn the park upside down looking for him. Still, working the pavement wasn't bringing any success, either.

"Excuse me!" Bubbles said. "Ma'am?" The woman she was calling was a rather heavyset middle-aged woman with brown curly hair and a stoic look about the way she stared and the way she stood. "I was wondering if you could help me with something." She huffed, crossed her arms, and continued to stare. Bubbles continued. "I'm looking for someone. He's male, in his early twenties, blond. He was last seen wearing an old jacket and ripped jeans. Do you know where I can find someone matching that description?"

The woman tilted her head up slightly and looked behind Bubbles. She looked at Bubbles again. She looked behind Bubbles again. She looked at Bubbles again."

"I think your boyfriend is calling you."

Bubbles turned to see a young man standing across the street and waving his arms, but Bubbles didn't immediately recognize him. "I don't know him."

"He seems to know you."

Bubbles turned her head again and stepped closer to get a better look. "Zachary?" She turned back to the woman. "He's not my boyfriend, but he might be my sister's. I'll be right back."

Bubbles dashed over to the other side of the street, startling Zachary momentarily. "Whoa. I didn't see that coming. I suppose I should have, though."

"What are you doing here, Zachary?"

"Oh," he said. "I was wondering if you could give Buttercup my phone number. With all the Priscilla drama, I never got a chance to give it to her myself."

"Buttercup doesn't like you. I thought she made that clear."

"That's what she said, but that not what she feels," Zachary replied confidently. "I know a thing or two about romance. I can feel it. She saved my life, after all."

"Zachary, if you can't tell, I'm a little busy trying to track down a suspect."

"At Millennium Park?"

"Yes. If you must know, the suspect is a homeless man and homeless people on the run tend to hide out at Millennium Park."

"Do you know why homeless people hide at Millennium Park?"

"Why?"

"Because you're never going to find them here. The homeless have created a very sophisticated society here. The police don't even bother to go after homeless criminals anymore. It's too much of a hassle to get a common criminal off the streets. Honestly, you're wasting your time, Bubbles."

"You're the one wasting his time," Bubbles shot back. "I'll succeed. Just watch."

* * *

Tyler Osborn stepped out of his patrol car and greeted John Utonium at his doorstep. "You called me over here," Osborn noted as he was led inside. "I hope this means you've made a breakthrough in our Reenie situation.

Utonium nodded and picked up a bottle labeled _Sedusa_ from the counter. "This is Melanie Reenie's perfume. This is what Melanie Reenie uses to control men."

"If I intend to mount evidence against her, then I need to know how it works and why it only works on men."

Utonium pushed open the door to the basement and invited Osborn to follow him downstairs. He led Osborn to the back where he had his laboratory set up on the far counter. "This is all of it," he said. "Sedusa-Melanie Reenie's personal perfume-broken down into its main components."

"How do these things create mind control, John?"

"This is science, not magic. There is no such thing as mind control. It's testosterone control. I haven't quite figured out yet how these chemicals fit together, but their uses are unmistakable. The combination of chemicals manipulates the testosterone in men until they essentially fall madly in love with Reenie."

"Love?"

"Have you ever been in love, Captain?"

"Once."

"Take that feeling and multiply is by a thousand."

"I don't get it."

"Love is nothing more that lust plus rationale. Love arises from an initial feeling of sexual attraction, which itself is brought on by some other strong emotion. My hypothesis is that Reenie has found a way to take that strong emotion, whatever it may be, force it to become lust, and then magnify it."

"I don't like the way you said 'hypothesis.'"

"I can't testify in count in favor of this, Osborn. I am very confident that my assumptions are correct, but I haven't had the opportunity to test it. That could take weeks. We don't have weeks."

"What do you propose?"

"I've invited Melanie out tonight. I'm going to tell her what I know and give her the opportunity to step down and leave town."

"Sounds like our only option," Osborn replied just as his cell phone began to ring. "It's Gedge. I have to take this. Gedge. Are you at the station?"

"No sir. I'm still at First National."

"What do you mean you're still at First National? Meyer called the Powerpuff Girls. They were supposed to be in and out. What happened?"

"Well, they went in and they didn't come out. Bubbles left, but the other two are sitting in there and talking with the suspects. What are your orders?"

"Hold your positions. I'll be right there."

* * *

The standoff at First National was lasting longer than it should have. Even the hostages were getting tired of waiting. A group of them had started a poker game and a couple of them were taking a nap in the corner. Still, they had to wait. They had to wait until Blossom and Buttercup were done arguing through the Walker brothers.

"Do you want to know how many times we've almost been caught because of his stupidity?" Pascal asked Buttercup.

"Of course I do," Buttercup said. "I've got all day. I'm sure it's a long list."

"Don't listen to his crap!" Rick shot from the other side of the room, supported by Blossom who was giving her sister the evil eye. "My plans may have not been perfect, but I'm human. Why don't you ask him how many times we've almost been caught thanks to his negligence?"

"You're the one talking crap, Rick!"

"Don't talk to your leader that way!" Blossom interjected.

"Hey," Buttercup shouted. "We've already decided that Pascal doesn't have to listen to Rick if he doesn't want to. Maybe Pascal has some great ideas. Did you ever think of that?"

"Yeah!" Pascal agreed. "Did you ever think of that, Rick?"

"I'm in charge for a reason, runt!"

"There he goes again," Pascal said to Bubbles. "He gets all defensive and starts calling me names."

"Don't listen to him," Buttercup repeated. "Do what you want to do. Don't listen to him when he tells you not to!"

"Yeah!"

"Do you want to do something right now?"

"Yeah!"

"Would Rick disapprove?"

"Yeah!"

"What do you want to do?"

"I want to shoot Rick!"

"Then do it-wait, what did you say?"

Pascal didn't answer. The gun was already in his hand and the bullet was already traveling out of the barrel and toward Rick Walker. Buttercup put herself in motion and managed to catch the bullet just inches from Rick's face. Blossom, still shocked, looked up to see Pascal now aiming the gun at a group of hostages. He fired without aiming and without stopping until the clip was empty. Blossom dashed in front of the hostages and caught the five bullets.

Rick now had his gun out. Buttercup ran and tackled Pascal, knocking the gun out of his hand and protecting him from the bullet that Rick had fired. Buttercup prepared to tackle Rick, but stopped to see that he had already dropped his gun, and Blossom to could see why. Tyler Osborn and a handful of officers were already inside and going in to place the brothers under arrest. The hostages were taken to safety and the brothers dragged out until it was only Blossom, Buttercup, and Osborn left in the bank.

"What happened?"

"It was her fault!" they both said while pointing at the other.

"I'm sorry," Osborn said.

"Why?"

"I'm sorry I ever let Meyer go through with his little Powerpuff project. I'm sorry I thought allowing a couple girls to fight crime was a good idea. I'm sorry I gave you another chance after Priscilla Moore. I'm not sorry, however, for what I'm about to do. Goodbye girls."

Osborn immediately turned around, slid into his patrol car, and drove off.

* * *

"For once," Reenie said, "I wish we could have the entire PST here at one time."

"It happened once," Meyer assured. "I'm pretty sure we were all here at the first meeting." Although Sarah and Meyer both wanted to get started, Reenie insisted on waiting. John Utonium kept glancing at his watch and trying to avoid direct eye contact with both Melanie Reenie and Kathleen Keane. Keane, for her part, was occupied with keeping an eye on both Utonium and Reenie.

"Maybe we should just go ahead," Sarah suggested. "We can fill Captain Osborn in later. I'm still in the dark as to your plan as well, and I'm very interested."

"All right," Reenie compromised. "Sarah and I have been working together for the last couple of days on figuring out what the Gangreen Gang is doing and why they're doing it at Millennium Park. We came to the decision that no amount of research will divulge the information we need so-"

Just at that moment, Tyler Osborn stepped in. "Don't let me stop you," he said. "You have a plan regarding the Gangreen Gang. I want to hear it." Both Utonium and Keane gave him a surprised glance. Utonium thought it odd he would humor her if he planned on demanding her resignation that night. Keane thought it odd he would listen to the opinion of a known criminal.

"I came to the decision this morning that the only way to get information would be to infiltrate the gang, and since their new leader seems to be only recruiting teenagers and young adults, I found a young man named Christopher Mills who is willing to go undercover for me and only me."

"Melanie!" Sarah exclaimed. "I thought you were done with your mind control thing!"

"I never said that," she said. "I only said I wouldn't use it for evil. Also, I don't have mind control. Where are you even getting that?"

"We can't be considering this," Keane spoke up.

"I don't see why not," Meyer said.

"I agree," Osborn said. Now, everyone was looking at him. "Reenie, I know you're using a chemical compound meant to control male testosterone, and I have no reason to doubt that you used it on this Christopher kid. I really don't care."

Now, Utonium was standing and staring at Osborn. "What about what we talked about?"

"We're putting that on hold. I need Reenie for this operation."

Now, Keane was up. "What about the girls?"

"The girls are done!" Everyone was silent. "Meyer, I gave the Powerpuff Girls a chance and they blew it with Priscilla Moore. I gave them a second chance and they almost caused a massacre at First National."

"You don't have that right!" Meyer shouted.

"Actually Meyer, I do. I've been looking the other way, but the fact of the matter is that those girls are vigilantes and vigilantism is a crime. Reenie, I want you and Mills to report to station Monday morning. As far as those girls are concerned, I don't want to see them in field. They will go to school and report home. If I catch them anywhere near a crime scene, I will place them under arrest, and if I find out the PST sent them, you will all be sharing a jail cell as accessories."

Everyone else remained silent. Tyler Osborn went for the door, but made a quick detour to the phone in the corner to violently yank it out of the outlet before leaving.

It was official. The Powerpuff Girls were grounded.


	12. The Suspension Tension

Chapter 12: The Suspension Tension

The girls continued their usual pattern. Bubbles stayed on the left side of the room coloring, Buttercup stayed on the right side of the room loitering, and Blossom stayed on the second floor of the Pokey Oaks kindergarten room being sad. They remained quiet for a long time until Buttercup stood and walked toward the bathroom, accidentally knocking over Charlotte, one of the other kindergartners.

Charlotte cried a little bit, but Buttercup helped her to stand up and she was already wiping away the tears seconds later. This, however, did not prevent what happened next.

Blossom came running from the second floor and stood directly in front of Buttercup. "You're so careless, Buttercup! You never watch where you going and now you hurt poor Charlotte!"

"I'm okay now, actually," Charlotte spoke up in quiet voice. Of course, no one heard her.

"Don't even try that crap on me!" Buttercup shot back. "You're the one who can't take constructive criticism. You almost caused a massacre at First National, after all."

"Who?" Blossom shot back, shoving her sister backwards as she shouted. "I think you're blaming the wrong person. You can't follow direction. It was you who almost caused a massacre at First National!"

"You both almost caused a massacre at First National!" Bubbles shouted from the other side of the room.

"Shut up, Bubbles!" Blossom yelled back. "You weren't even there. Come to think of it, you had been skipping out on a lot of patrol up until the suspension. Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe Buttercup didn't almost cause the massacre. Maybe you did, Bubbles. Maybe you could have backed us up in there."

"You can't talk," Buttercup defended. "How many times have you been late to a mission because of Justin Bradley?"

"That's not the same!" she replied, "and I told you not to say that name anymore!" Blossom took a swing at Buttercup, who quickly dodged the blow and came up with a counter blow that connected with her face. Bubbles sped in to get in between them, but was immediately knocked back by Buttercup. Blossom managed to kick Buttercup int he stomach, and Buttercup retaliated with a leg sweep.

Blossom fell to the ground, but she didn't hit the ground. She fell on Charlotte, and now she was crying profusely.

"Girls!" Keane shouted as she entered the room. "Front and center!" The girls complied. "Go home," she commanded.

"We're sorry," Bubbles said. "We'll apologize to Charlotte and-"

"No," Keane interrupted. "No you're not. I'll make sure she's okay. As for you three, clearly being suspended from crime fighting isn't enough, so you're now suspended from school, too."

"For how long?" Blossom asked.

"Until I think it's safe. Go home."

* * *

Tyler Osborn was waiting by the lobby at the police station for Melanie Reenie and Christopher Mills to arrive, and they finally made it thirty minutes later than they said they would. Osborn was going to ask about the lateness until he realized he didn't really care. "Glad you could finally make it," he said. "It's nice to meet you Christopher." Christopher gave Osborn a short smile, but noticeably kept his mouth shut. "Follow me. I'll take you to the room you will be reporting to everyday until this operation is over."

Osborn led Reenie and Christopher down several hallways and led them into a room with several computers and screens. A young man with dirty blond hair and glasses wearing a polo shirt and jeans stood up from his computer and extended his hand for Reenie and Christopher to shake. Christopher remained silent and motionless, but Reenie shook his hand. "Hi," he said. "I'm Gavin Emerson. I'm a data analyst for the department. I'll be helping you guys run the Gangreen operation."

"It's nice to meet you," Reenie said before turning to Osborn. "I thought you said you were going to be on this operation."

"I'm supervising the operation, but I have too much on my plate to take an active role. Gavin is the officer in change when I'm not here. He's helped run operations like this before for us as well as the FBI, so he knows what he's doing."

"I'm not one to brag," Gavin added. He turned to Christopher. "You're not much of a talker, are you? I can see why. You're Christopher Mills, wanted on several charges including assault, theft, and several drug-related charges. Don't worry, as long as you're on this operation, you're immune, and if this operation goes well, I'll even see what I can do about getting your record expunged."

Christopher smiled. "I like this guy."

"Good," Osborn said. "I'm glad we all like each other. Now we can get down to business." Gavin sat down at the computer and pull open a file with several pictures in it. He clicked on one and it opened on a larger screen against the wall. It was a picture of a young man with dark hair standing next to a young girl with skin darker than his. Both were wearing green and they were standing in an alley facing the opposite direction.

"The one on the left is Desmond Callahan," Osborn started. "He moved here from Ireland three years ago with his parents. That's how you're getting into the gang." The picture of Desmond and the girl was moved to the left side of the screen to make room for another picture, that of a balding man in his fifties. "That is Dennis Sanderson. You killed him."

"What?" Christopher and Melanie said together.

"That's what you're going to tell him," Osborn explained. "Sanderson is a prosecutor. About a year ago, he successfully tried Callahan's father on drug trafficking charges. He was deported a few months ago. At the time, the jury found Callahan's mother not guilty, but new evidence may link her to the drug business, and Sanderson has been trying to convict her on a separate drug charge. Recently, however, there have been several threats on his life and two recent attempts, one of which we can confirm was orchestrated by members of the Gangreen Gang led by Desmond Callahan himself. Sanderson is currently in protective custody, but they don't know that."

"Sounds simple enough," Reenie said. "Christopher does Callahan a favor, and he gets him in the gang."

"Sounds good to me," Christopher added.

The phone on the table rang. Gavin answered it. "Townsville Police Department - Data analysis. Gavin Emerson speaking." Pause. "Yeah." Pause. "Yeah." Pause. "Okay. I'll tell them." He hung up and turned to the others. "Mrs. Bellum in on her way here to talk to Christopher privately."

Reenie sighed.

* * *

Elliott Meyer stepped out of the bathroom at the capitol building with a smile on his face and he didn't quite know why. He didn't really care to know why. He just knew that his schedule was free, and he didn't have either Reenie or Sarah to tell him otherwise. He knew he could just enter his office and it would be empty.

Unfortunately, it wasn't empty. Sitting in one of the red chairs on the opposite side of the desk sat Blossom, sitting patiently for Meyer's return. "There you are, Mr. Meyer. I was worried that you weren't here today."

"Blossom," Meyer said as he sat down in his chair. "It's certainly a surprise to see you here. I haven't decided if it's a good surprise or not, but it certainly a surprise."

"Do you know why I'm here, Mr. Meyer?"

"Well, I've noticed you've taken to me as some sort of psychiatrist. I am more than happy to give you advice, Blossom, but it should be duly noted that I am not a psychiatrist and my advices should be taken with a grain of salt. Understood?"

"Sure. Whatever."

"Good. What's your question, then?"

"It's my sisters!"

"It always is."

"What does that mean?"

"Last time you came to me, you came flying through my window shouting that your sisters were picking on you. Now it seems you want to blame your sisters again for your string of failures which led to your suspension from crime fighting."

"And our suspension from school this morning! Buttercup won't follow my orders and Bubbles chooses to go off on her own rather than work as a team!"

"Huh," Meyer said. The sound intrigued Blossom, and so did the prolonged silence. Finally, Meyer spoke up again. "Those are two very legitimate points."

"Really?"

"Really. Buttercup should listen more often and Bubbles shouldn't be leaving on her own missions. That being said, Buttercup is right, too."

"Really?"

"Really. You see, it's not a question of who is right and who is wrong. It's a question of who is being a jerk and who is not. As of right now, you're all equally being jerks. If you can accept that you've made mistakes in the past and that Buttercup has a legitimate right in questioning your authority, then maybe she'll be more willing to follow your orders, and if Buttercup starts following your orders again, Bubbles won't feel the need to fly off again. If you want to be a leader, then you must lead by example. You sisters won't accept criticism if you won't."

"That's actually good advice," Blossom said. "Not that it matters, though. We're suspended, and I don't think Captain Osborn is going to drop it any time soon."

"Don't worry about that. The Powerpuff Support Team is on it."

* * *

Sarah Bellum arrived at the police station only twelve minutes after her phone call to the station, and Tyler Osborn awaited her in the lobby. "Mrs. Bellum. Follow me." Sarah was slightly shocked at the directness and the apparent rush Osborn spoke with, but said nothing as she was led into the same data room that the group had been in before.

This time, Melanie Reenie was not in the room. Christopher was sitting at an empty table with a yellow chair sitting empty on the other side. On her left, Gavin Emerson was on the computer, typing something on a file and minding his own business.

"Take five minutes," Osborn told her. "Ask him whatever you want. Do whatever it takes to make yourself okay with this because whatever you decide, it won't matter. I'm going through with this, and I would like to start as soon as possible."

"I understand, captain." Tyler Osborn nodded silently and left the room. Sarah sat down in the yellow chair and looked at Christopher Mills. His hair was dirty and disheveled, his jeans were old and ripped, and his shoes were the same. His shirt, however, was brand new.

"Where did you get the shirt?"

"Me," Gavin interrupted. "It's a department shirt. It has video and audio recording sewn into the stitching."

"I didn't ask you."

"Sorry."

"What are you doing in here? I asked to speak to Christopher alone."

"Sorry. I'm working on a report for another operation I did last week. I'd leave, but I'm a bit behind on my reports as it is, if it's all the same to you."

"Fine." She turned back to Christopher and did her best to ignore Gavin Emerson. "How and when did you meet Melanie Reenie?"

"A few days ago. She was like a guardian angel. I was facing death and there she was, ready to spread her wings and catch me as I fell."

Sarah looked at Christopher disbelievingly, but Christopher maintained a look of honesty. Sarah proceeded to her next question. "What is your opinion of Melanie Reenie?"

"She is the most perfect specimen of human anywhere in this world. Anyone would be lucky just to be in her presence. Imagine how blessed I must be to be able to help her."

Sarah thought about his response and commenced with her next question. "On a scale of 1 to 10, what would you rate Melanie Reenie's attractiveness?"

"Melanie's beauty knows no bounds. I would never dare to limit it to a simple number."

Sarah didn't hesitate with her next question: "What would you say if I told you that the perfume she wears has a chemical effect on you, and that you don't actually mean anything you're saying? What if I told you that Reenie is a criminal who has tampered with your testosterone to fulfill her needs?"

"I'd say you're probably right," he said. Sarah was visibly surprised. "I'm not a complete idiot. I can tell I'm acting differently, but that doesn't matter to me. I'm alive thanks to Melanie. I have a chance at redemption thanks to Melanie. I'm happy thanks to Melanie. Melanie Reenie is a hero. I owe her my life, and I'd gladly give it up to give her the chance to help others."

Sarah didn't have time to process this answer. Tyler Osborn was already back in the room. "Are you done? I'd like to have Christopher in the field tonight. Callahan is at Millennium Park right now, but I don't know how long he's sticking around."

"Fine," she said despondently. "I don't feel any better about this, but I'll deal."

"Good." Osborn turned to Christopher. "Let's go. It's time to get to work."

Osborn led Christopher out of the room and, eventually, Sarah Bellum followed them. The room was silent with only Gavin left in the room until Reenie entered five minutes later.

"Did you get everything?"

"All of it," Gavin said as he slid to the left and allowed Reenie to look at the monitor. "I typed their entire conversation. So, I know why she doesn't trust you, but why don't you trust her?"

"I don't think Sarah is as pure and innocent as she lets on," Melanie replied with a smile.

* * *

Immediately after school, Buttercup went to the Corner Shop. Several hours later, she hadn't left. For several hours, Buttercup spent her time being loud and disruptive. People left soon after arriving and as the day turned into night, people weren't coming at all. Slim had been watching from the counter worriedly. For the last two hours, Bossman and Junior were on the floor watching the chaos as it unfolded as well.

Every now and then, Slim had attempted to talk to Buttercup, but she would just brush him off and tell him to leave her alone. The Corner Shop was in the middle of what should have been their dinner rush, and Buttercup had successfully scared off all of their customers.

Bossman gave Slim a nudge to go and speak with Buttercup, but Slim was too frightened to try again. Bossman sighed and took Slim's place. He approached her saying, "Buttercup, please-"

"No! You please! I asked for no mustard on this sandwich and you put mustard on this sandwich. You are terrible at your jobs. You guys suck!"

The bell at the door rung and all four of them turned to see Zachary stepping in. "Hi Buttercup. I heard you were here."

"I don't believe this," Buttercup muttered. "Bubbles told me about your little meeting at Millennium Park. You are the last person I want to see."

" I know you're going through a lot right now," Zachary said with a supportive tone as he sat down across from Buttercup, "but I'm here to tell you that you don't have to go through it alone."

"I can't believe this," she continued to mutter.

"You can talk to me, Buttercup," he insisted.

Back at the counter, the Amoeba Boys were watching cautiously. Slim was biting his nails as he leaned over to Bossman. "This isn't going to end well for the boy, will it?"

"Not a chance it hell," Bossman answered.

"No chance," Junior mirrored.

Zachary continued to voice his support while Buttercup continued to mutter to herself until she finally couldn't support it anymore. "Shut up Zachary! If you can't get it through your thick head that the pizza parlor was just a sting operation and that there is nothing between us, then I don't know what to do!"

"Maybe we could go out again and see how you feel about me then?"

"I wouldn't be able to stomach going out with you for a second, let alone an entire evening? What does it take with you?"

"Just give me one chance?"

"Every second your jaw remains unbroken is a chance I'm giving you to leave."

"I'm not going anywhere."

"Fine. I'll leave." With that, Buttercup was gone.

* * *

John Utonium was watching television comfortably in peace until Kathleen Keane walked in. she didn't even bother to knock this time, instead taking full advantage of the fact that Utonium never locked his front door. "That was unbelievably rude," Utonium said as she seated herself on the couch next to the recliner he was sitting in.

"We need to talk."

"I figured that," Utonium replied. "What is this about? Melanie Reenie?"

"No," she said with a scowl. "Although that is weird on a separate level, I need to talk to you about something far more important. The girls."

"Really?"

"Yes really. You know the girl, right? Those three teenage female that come in and out of your house on occasions and eat your food?"

"I know of them," he replied. "Where are you going with this?"

"The girls are getting worse," Keane replied with a deathly serious tone. "The near massacre at First National was just the beginning. They began blaming each other for Osborn's suspension. Today, it got violent, and I had to suspend them from school."

"So you came all this way to tell me my daughters have been suspended."

"No, Ken! I came here to warn you. Their fighting is only going to get worse. They are going to kill someone! They are going to get reckless and sooner or later, someone will get caught in the crossfire. If not, Blossom and Buttercup will wind up killing each other. Don't tell me that it sounds far-fetched. Don't tell me I'm crazy. This can and will happen. You know it's not just possible, but probable."

Utonium sighed and shut the television off. "Call Meyer. I can believe I'm saying this, but I'm calling a PST meeting."

* * *

Once again, Bubbles was at Millennium Park. Once again, she was searching for the elusive blond thief. Once again, the homeless people were being unsupportive. This time, they were being especially mean-spirited since they knew the Powerpuff Girls had been suspended, and therefore Bubbles couldn't do anything physical to find him or to prevent them from hiding him.

She didn't want to feel like a loser, but there she was, sitting on a park bench for at least an hour, wallowing in her own self-pity. "I'm good for nothing!" she shouted for no one in particular to hear.

Unbeknown to her, there was someone sitting on the bench next to her. "Don't say that," he said in a kind voice. "Whatever you think you've done, I can guarantee someone out there has done worse."

Bubbles felt even worse that a perfect stranger was trying to cheer her up. She didn't feel like she deserve to be cheered up and couldn't even look at the good samaritan in the eye. "Thanks for trying, but I don't think so. I don't think you know anyone worse than me."

"What about me, for instance," he suggested. "You don't know me. You don't know what I may have done in the past."

"You haven't almost killed anyone," Bubbles said.

"I have," he replied with a sweet voice. "I may sound innocent, but I've done a lot of bad things in my past."

"Like what?"

"Well," he began, "just a few weeks ago, I came very close to killing a cashier during a simple gas station robbery. I didn't want to take a gun, but the other guys made me. I didn't want to pull the trigger, but I was so scared just standing there with the Powerpuff Girls in front of me, I didn't know what to do."

He kept talking, and as he talked, Bubbles slowly lifted her hear to confirm the suspicion: the good samaritan with the sweet voice with the blond thief from the gas station. He was even wearing the same clothes form that day. "You!" she shouted as she latched onto his arm.

"Me?" he asked suddenly. He then got a good look at the girl he had been talking to. "You! The blue one! Bubbles!"

"That's right!" she shouted gleefully. "I finally got you. You're under arrest!"

"What's going on here," a new voice chimed in, a familiar voice to Bubbles. It was the heavyset homeless woman from the other day. She stepped up to the bench where the sat and saw Bubbles with her hand grasping onto his wrist. "Let go of him."

"No! This man has a warrant out for his arrest. He is wanted for armed robbery, and I'm taking him to jail."

"No you're not," she said. "If I'm not mistaken, you and your sisters have been un-deputized, which means you no longer have the freedom to take criminals into custody."

"Yes I do!" she defended. "It's called a citizen's arrest."

"Check the rulebook, honey," she said. "You can only make a citizen's arrest if you catch someone in the act of committing a felony. Only police officers have the right to arrest someone on an outstanding warrant, and only with an arrest warrant. You don't happen to have a warrant on you, do you?"

"I'm taking him to jail!"

"Let him go right now, or I will call the police myself. They'll take you into custody for your vigilantism." Bubbles didn't have a response. She wanted to keep arguing, but she knew the woman was right. She wanted to take him into custody, but she knew she didn't have the right. Bubbles let him go, and the woman led him away, leaving Bubbles just as despondent as she had been before.

Bubbles return to wallowing on the bench while across the park on the other side of field, Desmond Callahan was sitting on another bench smoking a cigarette, his second pack that day. He had been doing reconnaissance for the gang at the park all day, a menial and pointless task meant for the lowest and newest members. Just as he was beginning to nod off from boredom, Christopher Mills slid in next to him, holding a manila folder.

"Go away," Desmond ordered in a thick Irish accent.

"You're in the Gangreen Gang," Christopher noted, getting right to the point. "I want in."

"You and everyone else in town."

"I have a present for you Desmond." Christopher handed the manila folder over to Desmond, and he quickly rifled through the papers until stopping at a doctored photograph of Dennis Sanderson lying in a pool of blood, his throat cut. Desmond now went back through the other papers. He read the fake news report of Sanderson's murder, dated the day before. He read the fake copy of the medical examiner's report.

He looked at the photograph again before handing the folder back to Christopher and lighting another cigarette. "You don't mess around. What's your name?"

"Christopher Mills."

"Forgive me if I don't quite trust you yet, Christopher. I need to talk to some people. Meet me here in exactly two days, and we'll see if you're in or not."

* * *

Kathleen Keane made the call to Elliott Meyer. Happily, Elliott Meyer sent out a mass text to PST members. In his rush, he had forgotten to take Tyler Osborn off the list. Luckily, Osborn texted back saying he wasn't going to bother crashing their little meeting, but he would keep a close eye on the girls.

Utonium and Keane were the first to arrive. Sarah arrived sometime later after leaving the police station. Melanie Reenie, however, did not report back. "Okay," Meyer said. "We're all here. Well, mostly, but you get the idea. What's your plan, John?"

"We put the girls back into the field," he said.

Utonium sounded confident, but he resolve didn't spread to the rest of the room. Everyone else remained quiet for a few seconds until Sarah stepped up. "Don't get me wrong, but I was hoping for a better solution that trying the same thing over and over again. Maybe you didn't hear about First National, but putting those girls back in the field is just about the worst thing we can do to help them."

"This isn't about helping them," Utonium explained. "It's live or die at this point, and I think it's about time we put that decision in their hands."

"What are you getting at, John?" Meyer asked.

"The attacks in the hills outside of Townsville. I've been following them very closely. A few weeks ago, those attacks became murders. The coroner's office wrote them off as animal attacks, but I dug through the records myself and found some discrepancies in the initial reports and the coroner's reports. The victims have wounds consistent with animal attacks, but they also have bullet wounds that went unaccounted for. These attacks were perpetrated by a human, a particularly sociopathic human to be exact."

Keane groaned. "You can not be suggested what I think you're suggesting."

"We send the Powerpuff Girls."

"You are," she said with another groan.

"All of their previous assignments have been simple. The near massacre at First National happened because the girls thought that their argument was more important that the lives of the hostages. They've become relaxed because they've never had to fear for their lives. I think it's about time they learned the meaning of fear."


	13. The Property Devotee

Chapter 13: The Property Devotee

Blossom was sitting in the grass resting against a tree. Buttercup didn't want to sit still. She didn't even want to be there, but Elliott Meyer insisted. Trust and respect had been thrown out the window a long time ago for most of the people in their lives, but Meyer had been constant in his support of the girls both as teenagers and as superheroes, so Blossom and Buttercup were willing to stifle their tongue as they sat at the edge of Townsville with Elliott Meyer standing by.

The Powerpuff Support Team planned this out very meticulously. They were fortunate that Reenie choose to skip the last meeting since she would definitely have told Tyler Osborn. The girls got ready themselves and left the house. At that point, they received the text message from Elliott Meyer telling them to meet them where they were now waiting. Unfortunately, since Keane did not help them get ready for school that morning, they got ready at different speeds and so Bubbles had left earlier than her sisters and had not yet arrived over ten minutes after Meyer had sent the text. Blossom and Buttercup had been waiting for eight minutes.

Finally, after all the silence and pent up anger, Bubbles landed nonchalantly in the middle of the field. She saw the looks her sisters gave her. "I took a detour. What's the big deal? It's not like I matter anyways, right?"

"Not if you're going to be like this!" Buttercup yelled.

"Stop!" Meyer yelled. The girls complied. "Good. Now, if you haven't yet figured it out, you're here on a mission. There's a guy out there with a gun and a penchant for mauling. Actually, it might be a bear with a gun. Either way, he's been attacking people and you need to stop him...or her...or it."

"Really?" Blossom interrupted. "Mr. Meyer, I trust your advice, but we're suspended, and with good reason. We can't go on mission, not as a team anyway."

"This is a job of special importance," Meyer explained. Buttercup scoffed and Bubbles began to shuffle back and forth. Blossom remained attentive to Meyer's words. "This is a mission like you've never experienced. You said that you trust my advice and this is your opportunity to put what I said in practice. The professor didn't want me to tell you, but your success here is literally a matter of life or death."

"Come on!" Buttercup shouted. "If we're going to do this, let's just get this over with!" Buttercup sped off into the trees. Bubbles shuffled off after her. Meyer gave Blossom a supportive look before she went off after them.

* * *

Kathleen Keane was at the head of the classroom, trying her best to forget the situation that the girls were in. She was trying to remember how her life was like several months before, when she didn't even know the girls existed and John Utonium was her friend Ken, a recluse that Keane could visit if she ever needed to talk. She was standing at the the head of the classroom, trying to ignore the fact that Tyler Osborn was walking through the front door.

"Okay kids," she said to the kids as they were working on basic math, "Keep working on your number lines. I need to speak with Mr. Osborn privately for a moment." She left the kids in the main room and met Osborn by the doorway. "Why are you here?"

"Because the Powerpuff Girls aren't," he said. He looked behind Miss Keane and into the classroom to confirm his suspicions. "I have a question, and I think you have the answer to it. The girls left the house individually this morning. That's unusual. You usually pick them up. They never arrived to school. Here's my question: Where are the girls?"

"Are you spying on the girls, Osborn? Are you keeping tabs on them?"

"Clearly, I'm not keeping enough tabs on them. You haven't answered my question. Where are the girls?"

"I suspended the girls from school two days ago," she explained.

"You didn't tell me that."

"I didn't think it was any of your business."

"That brings me to a new question. Where did the girls go this morning?"

"I don't know Osborn. Why don't you ask John?" Keane made a mistake. She knew Osborn would question her first, and it was made clear the previous night that she would keep Osborn away from the Utonium residence.

It was too late now. "Good idea, Miss Keane. I'll do just that." Osborn abruptly left the building.

* * *

Back in the woods, the girls were walking together, but not in unison. Blossom didn't want to assert her leadership again. She knew Buttercup would just fight her. Instead, Blossom kept to the back of the group with her cell phone well in hand. Bubbles was the first to notice it. "Blossom, why is you phone in your hand?"

"Oh," she said, stopping. "I guess I forgot to tell you. Last night, I got a call from Justin. I didn't answer it. He left a message, but I didn't listen to it. He texted saying he would call again today."

"Really?" Buttercup exploded. "I knew this was going to happen! We're in the middle of a mission, and you have your phone in your hand waiting for a call from Justin Bradley! I can't believe this!"

"Neither can I," came another voice, a male voice, deep and gravely. The girls turned and looked at the man. He was of average height with brown hair and full brown beard. He had a vest worn above a long sleeve shirt and jeans. He had a shotgun slung over his shoulder and held a handgun in his left hand.

The man lifted the handgun and pointed it at the girls. "I'll give you to the count of three." The girls didn't move. "One. Two. Three." The girls still did not move. He pulled the trigger and Blossom caught the bullet easily.

"My turn," she said as she began to approach him. "I'll give you a three second head start." He didn't move. "One. Two. Three." He didn't move, so Blossom picked up speed. Just as she approached the vicinity to grab him, a barrage of bullets suddenly came from the tree directly behind the man. Blossom stopped moving forward and began to deflect the bullets as she slowly began moving backward. Bubbles and Buttercup sped up and the bullets increased accordingly.

"Fall back!" Blossom yelled. Buttercup gave her a look of opposition, but had no choice but to agree. The Powerpuff Girls retreated into the trees.

Once they were long gone, the bullet barrages ended. "So those were the Powerpuff Girls," he said. "I might need a back-up plan." He looked where they were standing to see that Blossom had dropped her cell phone. He checked the screen, where Justin's missed call was still displayed prominently. He pressed the green button and listened to the message: "Blossom. I know we've been avoiding each other recently. Part of that is my fault and I want to say I'm sorry. I've been blaming you for what happened to Priscilla, but I can accept that I deserve some blame too. Well, all I want to say is that I don't want to stay mad at you. We screwed up, but we can fix it. Call me back."

The man ended the recording and switched to the keypad. "I don't sound like a teenage girl," he mused. "I guess I'll have to type it." He pressed to text him: We need to talk in person. Meet me at Millennium Park in an hour.

* * *

"I don't want you here," Utonium said as he stood on his front porch, watching Tyler Osborn step out of his police cruiser. "I thought this suspension meant I would get to see a lot less of you."

"You don't wan to see me, John?"

"No I don't," he replied sternly. " I helped you out identifying how Reenie used the chemicals to control testosterone, and you betrayed me by protecting Reenie. Simply put, I don't want to see you."

"That works out fine," he said as he let himself into the home. "I don't want to see you, either. I want to see your daughters."

"They're not here. They're at school."

"That's what I thought," he said as he took a seat in Utonium's recliner. "The girls have been going and coming from the house for the last few days, but I went to Pokey Oaks this morning to find that Kathleen suspended them a few days ago. Now, that begs the question: Why am I being kept in the dark all of a sudden?"

"We're not hiding anything, Osborn," he said. "You're just not paying attention."

"Who's not paying attention?" Reenie's voice asked. The two men in the living room turned around to put the voice to the woman, who was standing at the doorway with a suitcase resting to the right of her. "I can see you're having a private argument, so I'll just move my things into John's room and let you have your man time."

Utonium left Osborn in the living room and approached Reenie at the door. "What are you doing here? With a suitcase?"

"Yeah," Reenie said nonchalantly. "I suppose I should have told you. I'm moving in! I would have given you notice, but the landlord didn't give me any notice when he evicted me this morning, so we both get screwed!"

"Have you been paying your bills?"

"Some of them."

"Doesn't Meyer pay you?"

"Minimum wage," Reenie said with a snarl. "When Sarah insisted that special adviser wasn't a real job, she was serious. She made sure that I was listed in the payroll as a secretary. I'm getting paid chicken scraps for all my hard work, and don't even think tight-wad Osborn is paying me anything for the Gangreen operation."

"I'm sitting right here!" Osborn interrupted.

"That was the idea," she shot back.

"All I want to know is where the girls are."

"I don't know," Utonium insisted.

"You might want to ask Elliott," the uninvited Reenie proposed. "I heard the girls stopped by his office this morning."

"I'll do that," Osborn said as he leaped up from the chair and headed out the door.

"Thanks a lot, Melanie," Utonium said while sighing deeply.

"Was he not supposed to know that?" He shook his head. "Oh," she added. "Oops."

* * *

The girls stopped running after a few minutes, when they were sure that they had outrun the man and his hidden barrage of bullets. The girls didn't think they would ever experience being out of breath, but they were feeling it for the first time now, and they were feeling it hard. The bullet barrage didn't stop when they left his sight. It was clear that he had hundreds, if not thousands of guns set up in the trees throughout the woods all at his control.

"That didn't work," Bubbles said.

"Obviously," Buttercup shot back.

"I was just saying."

"Stop talking if you're not going to say anything helpful."

"We need to come up with a plan," Blossom spoke up. She desperately wanted to get in between Buttercup and Bubbles, but she restrained herself. She knew that if she defended Bubbles, she would only get into an argument with Buttercup. They didn't have time for that. They were running for their lives, and they needed a plan. "I have a plan, but we need to work together."

"To hell we are," Buttercup yelled. "I see no reason why I should have to listen to you!"

"You're right," Blossom immediately replied against her instincts. "You have every reason to doubt me as your leader. Still, I have a plan and I would like for you to hear it. If you don't like it, then you can add your opinion. Sound fair?"

"Yeah," Buttercup replied with genuine shock. "That's fair."

"I think you might need to change hour plan a little bit. Look at what I found." Bubbles said. Her sisters turned to see Bubbles, holding a young man with straight brown hair in a choke hold. There was a video camera resting to the left of them.

"Who are you?" Buttercup asked.

Bubbles released him from the hold and allowed him to answer. "Hi. I'm David Wilson. I'm a reporter. I'm not supposed to be here and you're not supposed to be here, so if you girls could forget you saw me, I'll forget I saw you and go home. OK?"

"How did you get this far without getting torn apart by bullets?" Buttercup inquired.

"The microphone," he said as he pointed proudly to the microphone attached to the collar of his shirt. "I didn't realize what it was at first, but my microphone gives off a strange buzz whenever I'm in the vicinity of the motion sensors. I've been able to keep to a safe path so far."

Blossom mumbled something to herself as her sisters continued to look at Wilson standing and squirming and wishing he were safely home again. "Nope," she finally said. "I have a new plan and it involves you."

Wilson sighed deeply.

* * *

Tyler Osborn was at the end of his rope as he pushed through the aides and security trying to bar his access to Elliott Meyer's office. He wasn't going to let them stop him. He knew something was going on that the Powerpuff Support Team didn't want him to know and he was going to find out.

"Meyer!" he shouted as he barged into the room.

"Not in this room!" Sarah Bellum sarcastically shouted back at him. "Why are you yelling? What is the point of yelling? This is not a very large office!"

"Where is Meyer?"

"Right here," Meyer said as he came into the room. "Sorry. I use the bathroom sometimes. I'll try to schedule my bathroom breaks for when it's more convenient for you, Captain."

"I'm not here to play games," Osborn insisted. "I'm not here to support your stupid jokes. I know that the girls came here this morning. I know that Kathleen Keane and John Utonium lied when they said they didn't know where the girls are. They don't give a crap about legal proceedings. You two, however, are civil servants. You can't lie to me."

"I don't know," Meyer said. "I think I can. Here, let me give it a shot. You're a pretty princess with a beautiful tiara. See? Not a single word of truth in that statement."

"I want to know where the girls are right now!"

"And I want my parking tickets erased! Looks like neither of us are going to get what we want."

"Stop!" Sarah interrupted. Meyer reluctantly complied. "Osborn is right. We have to tell him the truth." Osborn let out a held breath and waited for Sarah to continue her explanation. "Captain Osborn, do you still recall the frightful night we crossed the Rio Grande?"

"What?"

"I can see it in your eyes, how proud you were to fight for freedom in this land."

"I am not amused, Mrs. Bellum."

"There was something in there air that night, the stars were bright, Fernando!" Meyer jumped in at the last word.

"Fine," Osborn said. "Just know that your little fun is nothing short of obstruction of justice and you will be punished for it." Osborn stormed out of the office.

"That was effective," Meyer quipped.

"Yes, but was it worth it?"

* * *

The plan was set, and the girls were already setting it in motion. Buttercup approved of the plan and only wound up making a few minor suggestions. To her surprise Blossom not only considered each of them carefully, but also wound up incorporating all of them into her original planned. Buttercup and Bubbles were stunned.

David Wilson was standing in front of the group as they walked carefully. Wilson was vocally disgruntled about being at the head of the group, but he had the microphone and he had the camera. The constant buzzing kept them on a safe path and after half an hour, they found themselves standing on the front porch of a lowly cabin.

"It doesn't look like much," Bubbles opined.

"It's exactly what we're looking for," Blossom added as she peered through the front door. Her sisters followed her inside, where computer screens lined the opposite wall and a gun rack took up the entirety of the wall to their left. Wilson stood in the middle of the room as he panned the camera around to capture everything.

"Mr. Wilson," Blossom said sternly. "It's time for you to get in position."

He nodded and placed the camera on the ground. He unclipped the microphone from his collar and clipped it to Blossom's blouse before picking the camera back up and heading out the door. "Stay to the path we made and try not to get shot on your way out, Mr. Wilson," Blossom warned. He nodded and continued out the door.

Meanwhile, Bubbles was the other other end of the room inspecting the guns. "I don't get it," she said. "These weapons. Why would anyone be obsessed with things that only cause pain? What joy could possibly be derived from that?"

"He's not normal," Buttercup replied.

"That's not a satisfying answer," Bubbles mumbled.

"This could be interesting," Blossom said as she eyed a map tacked to the wall near the guns. The map displayed the wooded area with the cabin located in the center of it. A heavy red line encircled the woods on the map and blue lines shot out from the cabin in all directions toward the red circle. "This certainly confirms my theory. I think our plan will work perfectly."

"Blossom?" Bubbles voiced cautiously. "I hate to put a wrinkle in the plan, but what are we going to do about that?" Bubbles pointed to a screen at the far left of the wall. The image was clear. The bearded man was holding Justin Bradley hostage. The man was also proudly displaying Blossom's cell phone in the left hand as if to mock Blossom for having dropped it earlier.

"We have to stick to the plan," Buttercup said sternly.

"We will," Blossom assured. "First, we're going to rescue Justin using hostage rescue plan number 3."

"Risky," Buttercup said. "For Justin, at least."

"Yes, but it will allow us to stick to the plan. Are you with me?"

"You've got it, boss," Buttercup said.

"I'll follow your lead," Bubbles assented.

* * *

"I'm getting sick and tired of sitting here," Christopher muttered to himself as he sat at the bench on which he had spoken to Desmond Callahan a few days prior. Desmond was clear when he told Christopher to meet him on the bench in exact two days. It was now two days and two hours passed the time that Desmond said it. "He's not coming. I want to go home. Can I go home yet?"

Christopher's cell phone rang. He quickly picked it up, hoping it would be Reenie, but the number was from the data analysis room at the station. He answered it anyways. "Christopher," Gavin began. "Can you hear me?" Christopher grunted back. "Good, because I can hear everything you're saying over here. Stop bitching. No one likes a bitch."

"He's not here," Christopher said. "He said he would be here two hours ago and he's not here. It's late. It's already dark. There's no one here except the homeless. Can I come back yet?"

"No," Gavin insisted. "Captain Osborn is off trying to get a warrant on the mayor, so I'm in charge, and I say you stay on that bench."

Christopher stopped listening to Gavin as he tried to force his eyes to see what was going on in the parking lot across the field. The lights were dim, but he could see a lone van parked and three people standing in front. Two of them were male and the one standing the middle was female, noticeably smaller than the two men. Christopher couldn't see for sure, but it looked as if she was being forced into the van. "I'll call you back, Gavin," he said as he hung up.

Christopher stood and cautiously began to move towards the truck. He kept hidden behind the trees and moved silently in the grass. He was close enough to confirm his suspicions. Now, the men had the van door open and were forcibly lifting the girl into the air. Christopher moved quickly and tiptoed over to the side of the van. The darkness allowed him to get behind the smaller of the two men and get him in a choke hold. He struggled, but Christopher held him tightly. "Let her go!"

"Why?" the bigger one said. He sounded like he had a speech impediment.

"You don't now what kind of weapon I have," he replied.

"Try to guess what weapon I have," came Desmond's voice from behind Christopher as he placed the barrel of a gun to his temple. "Let him go." Christopher obliged. He immediately turned around and punched Christopher in the face. Christopher groaned, but kept cool as he felt the cold barrel touch his temple again. The girl was now standing and facing him. Christopher could see it was the same girl in the picture with Desmond that had been shown to him at the police station. "Sorry," she said as he placed her hands on his shoulder. He braced for impact as she kneed him in the groin.

Christopher was on his knees and Desmond finally whacked him across the head with the gun. "You died," Desmond said as he pulled Christopher off the ground. "Try not to do that on a real mission."

"Mission?"

"Welcome to the team, Grubber," said the one who hit him in the face. "That's your name, by the way. Desmond is Snake. The big guy is Big Billy. She is Lil' Arturo and I'm Ace." He slipped a piece of paper into his shirt pocket. "Tomorrow. 1:00. That address. See ya. Oh, and get cleaned up. You look like crap."

Ace chuckled as his own joke as he climbed into the van. Billy got into the driver's seat and Desmond didn't say anything as he climbed inside. The girl took one last look before closing the door.

* * *

Justin was standing with his back to a tree. The man had his gun pointed at Justin, but he was holding it rather lethargically. Justin was scared at first, but he had grown tired and bothered with time. "What do you want?" he finally asked.

"Leverage," he said with a shrug. "I don't really want anything from you Justin. You just have the unfortunate luck of being very close friends with the Powerpuff Girls, whom I just so happen to be fighting right now."

Justin let out a slight chuckle. "I don't know where you're getting your information from, buddy. I am not friends with those girls. I'm mad at them because it's their fault my girlfriend is missing."

"Girlfriend?" The man said with genuine surprise. "You aren't dating the red one?"

"Blossom?" Justin asked back in shock. "Of course not! She's had a problem with me since day one. First she saves me from a bully and then she won't even talk to me. We're far from close."

"Well," he said, "I suppose I just don't understand the hip teen lingo these days because I was going through Blossom's texts and found them to be of an amorous nature."

"I never got texts like that."

"She wrote them, but she never actually sent them."

"You're lying."

"See for yourself."

Them man tossed Blossom's phone into Justin's hand. He look at if for a few second before unlocking the screen and pressing the button for the text outbox. Just as his finger was about the press the button to open the text, a voice rang out. "Hey!"

Both he and the man looked up to see Bubbles standing several trees down. "We've been to your house," she said. "We saw your surveillance. We also took your map so we know where all your safe paths are as well as all your gun mounts are."

"That's great," he said. "Then you should know that Justin and I are in an enclave. We are surrounded by motion sensors that will knock you back the second you get to close."

"We've realized that," she said. "We have a plan, obviously. Justin! Feel free-actually, feel encouraged to run into the motion area."

"What?" was his enraged reply.

"I said we have a plan," Bubbles said. "That is part of the plan."

The man shook his head. "That's a stupid plan. He's not going anywhere." Justin took his statement as his cue and made a break for the edge of the enclave. He slid passed the tree and stopped abruptly, expecting a barrage of bullets to consume him. He looked over to the man when he realized he was still alive to see that he was a holding a device with his finger on a button.

"Fine," the man said. "You called my bluff. I won't kill the boy because I still need him as leverage. However, that doesn't mean I won't injure him." He took out the hand gun and fired a shot toward Justin's abdomen. A red flash of light flew in and Blossom was suddenly standing in front of Justin with the bullet in her hands. "Okay," he said again as he pocketed the gun. "But now you are in the sensor zone and I am out of the enclave."

He was right. No one had noticed that he had been moving slowly out of the enclave and was now safe to press the button to reactivate them, which he did. Blossom and Justin froze.

"Stay frozen," Blossom said. "When I say so, run toward Bubbles. OK?"

"OK."

After five seconds: "Now!" Justin ran and the bullets came. Blossom kept in front of him as he ran, defecting every single bullet as it reached her until they were both safely out of the sensor zone. "Is that my phone?" Blossom said as they caught their breaths. Justin was too winded to respond, so Blossom took her phone back. "Thanks." She turned to Bubbles. "Can you take him home?"

"Can you and Buttercup handle this without me?" Bubbles asked. Blossom nodded. "All right. I'll see you later." She took the still-winded Justin by the arms and whisked him into the air and back toward Townsville.

"Face it," Buttercup said as she suddenly appeared behind the man. "You just lost your leverage, and the Powerpuff Girls have the advantage."

"You still don't get it," he said. "The red circle on that map shows that land that I own. You are trespassing, and I have the legal right to defend my property if I feel threatened. It doesn't matter how many times I miss. I only have to hit you once."

"Well what are you waiting for, Fuzzy?" Blossom shouted. "Shoot me!"

The man didn't think twice before firing toward Blossom. Immediately, Blossom spun around and began to run away from the bullet. "You're going to love this part," Buttercup said.

Blossom continued to run with the bullet close behind her until she passed the last tree in the wooded area. She stopped, turned around, and stood motionless as the bullet penetrated her shoulder. Buttercup grabbed the man by the arm and took his to where Blossom had fallen.

Blossom was wide-eyed and was clutching her wound tightly. Finally, she screamed. "Holy crap! That hurt a lot more than I expected!"

"Stupid plan," the man said as he brandished the gun again.

"Put it away," David Wilson said as he stepped out with the camera rolling. The man rolled his eyes and pointed the gun at Wilson.

"Put it away," Buttercup repeated as she showed the man the map taken from his cabin. "You are here," she said as she pointed to a spot just outside the red circle. "Inside the circle, it's self defense. Outside the circle, it's attempted murder. You're going to jail now."

* * *

It was just after midnight when Tyler Osborn got back to the station. The judge was unwilling to give Osborn a warrant for any of the PST members, which put Osborn in a bad mood as he walked through the station and into the data analysis room where Gavin Emerson was just about to shut down his computer.

"Please tell me we have some progress on the Gangreen Operation," he demanded.

"Yeah Captain," Gavin said, a little worried about Osborn's angry tone. "Christopher was accepted into the team. I was just going over the audio and video we got this evening. They bruised him up a bit. An initiation ritual, I suppose. The doctors are looking at him now, but he was pretty eager to get back in the game as soon as possible. As for me, I'm going home."

"You're not going anywhere!" Osborn exploded.

"Come on! I've been here sixteen hours straight!"

"You're not going anywhere until I have full information on everyone in Christopher's team."

"What crawled up your ass?"

"Excuse me, Gavin?"

"Seriously. You're being a prick."

"I'm sorry," he said sarcastically. "I'm just a little pissed off because this city is being led by an idiot who supports a team of vigilante teenagers who aren't even good at being vigilantes. I know the girls are out on mission right now. They have been on mission all day, and I'm not going to know about it until they screw it up, and I have to do damage control."

"Excuse me," another officer said as he poked his head into the door. "Captain Osborn?"

"What!"

"You might want to take a look at this." The office led the enraged Osborn along with Gavin down the hall and to the front steps of the building. The man from the woods was tied up and hanging up-side-down from the awning. His mouth was taped and a noted was taped to the man's body. Osborn took the note and read it:

_We're sorry._

_- Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup (The Powerpuff Girls)_


	14. The Talker Stalker

Chapter 14: The Talker Stalker

It was just after midnight two days after returning from their mission to defeat the man in the woods, who was identified as Norman Lumpkins. They reported back to Meyer immediately after dropping Lumpkins off at the station, and Sarah insisted that Blossom go to the hospital for her bullet wound, even though she insisted that she was fine.

Blossom was lucky. Although her physiology allowed for rapid healing, if the bullet had hit anything major, it could have cause irreparable damage. She was allowed to leave after two days with a sling on her arm that prevented her from flying properly. Kathleen Keane picked her and her sisters up from the hospital and brought them back to the Utonium house.

The front door was unlocked as usual, and Keane led the girls in one by one. "All right," Keane said in a whisper. "The professor is probably asleep, so you just go on ahead to bed. I'll be back tomorrow morning to get you guys ready for school."

"We're not suspended anymore?" Bubbles asked hopefully.

"No," Keane replied with a smile. "Hopefully you won't be suspended from crime fighting much longer either." Keane paused as a light switched on in the kitchen. "Oh. I guess Ken isn't asleep after all." Keane passed the girls and walked into the kitchen. "Hey Ken. I decided to pick the girls up from the hospital since I was in the area and-"

Keane stopped when she realized she wasn't talking to Utonium. On the other side of the open fridge door was Melanie Reenie. Now, the girls were in the room with her and were looking at the woman whom they had never seen before. Blossom was the first to shout. "Professor!"

After a few minutes of shouting, Utonium was downstairs. He, Keane, and Reenie were sitting at the table while the girls continued to stand back the entrance to the kitchen.

"So I forgot to mention it," Utonium said nonchalantly. "It's not that big of a deal?"

"Really?" Keane shot back. "It's not that big of a deal? Your girlfriend moves in with you and you don't think to tell me or the girls?"

"In my defense," Reenie interrupted. "I had no idea they didn't know."

"Wait," Buttercup said. "Professor, you have a girlfriend? Since when?"

"That's not important," Utonium replied. "Quite frankly, that's none of your business Buttercup."

"Excuse me?" Buttercup shot back. "I think whoever lives in my house is my business!"

"Do you pay the bills?" Utonium asked. "No? Then this is not your house. You just happen to live here."

"Okay!" Reenie interrupted again. "I think this is enough for one night. Let's pick this up when we're not so riled up or at least when I'm not here. I'm going back to bed." Reenie stood up and leaned in to give Utonium a kiss on the cheek, but acted against it upon seeing the combined glares of the Powerpuff Girl. She smiled and left the room.

"Does she sleep in your bed?" Keane suddenly asked.

Utonium sighed. "Melanie had the right idea. I'm going to bed. You all can do whatever the hell you want. Nice sling by the way, Blossom."

* * *

In Elliott Meyer's office was Elliott Meyer and Sarah Bellum as usual. On the other side of the desk sat Tyler Osborn, who was expecting more than just himself sitting across from Elliott Meyer. "Meyer," he said. "When you texted me about a PST meeting, I figured you had just texted me by accident again. Now I'm wondering where Utonium and Keane are."

Meyer had a stupid wide smile on his face. "Clever, huh? I sent that text only to you, but I made it sound like I sent it to everyone. That way, I knew you would come. I am such a genius!"

"You got me," he said.

"Don't encourage him," Sarah replied.

"It should be obvious why I called you here."

"You what the girls' suspension revoked."

"Please?"

"It's not that simple."

"Pretty please?"

"They did good on the Lumpkins case. I'll admit that, but they didn't do anything permanent. Lumpkins was arrested, but he's already out on bail. Blossom was willing to get shot in order to gather evidence, but there's a pretty good chance that Wilson's video will be thrown out. He was breaking a restraining order by being there and all four of them were technically trespassing. Lumpkins does have a strong defense."

"But..." Sarah urged.

"But," Osborn continued, "I've already put Lumpkins' deed to the property into litigation to see if he does have right to the land. Until that's over, his cabin and all the land around it technically belongs to the city."

"How long will it take to come out of litigation?" Meyer asked.

"That could take anywhere from five days to five months, so five months. Lumpkins may be free, but he won't be attacking anyone unless he desperately wants to see the inside of a jail cell. Still, that's not enough for me to revoke their suspension."

"What will it take?"

Osborn mused on that question, which he was expecting ever since he entered the office. "You could test them," Gedge said. Meyer and Sarah both looked behind Osborn to see where the suggestion came from, as they had not known that Osborn came in with anyone.

"Who are you?" Meyer asked.

"That's Sargent Gedge," Osborn fielded the question. He turned around and spoke directly to him. "I can't do that right now. Tom Seaton's trial starts soon. I need to be in charge of that."

"I can handle the Seaton trial," he offered. "It's just bureaucracy anyways."

"Then it's settled," Meyer said. "The girls get a test. If they pass, they can be superheroes again."

* * *

Another day passed. Melanie Reenie tried to stay out of the Utonium house as long as she knew the girls were there. She tried to stay at the police station more often than she had to, so she wound up just waiting for Christopher to arrive that morning for Gavin's briefing.

Christopher had met with the other gang members a couple of times in the intervening days. They were all pretty silent about their future plans and they were especially quiet when the topic of Millennium Park ever came up. Desmond was still kind to him, but with a rough exterior. Ace had taken a liking to Christopher the day after his brutal initiation. He was proud of Christopher for taking the beating without flinching. Still, Ace wasn't willing to divulge any plans just yet and still didn't introduce him to any of the other Gangreen Gang members. Ace was the only one of the team to have contact with higher ups in the gang.

That morning, Gavin waited proudly in the data analysis room for Reenie and Christopher to arrive. "I am amazing," he said as he sat at the computer and pulled up several files on the large screen against the opposite wall. First, he open a photo of Ace, taken from the video feed in Christopher's shirt. "His name is Lucas Neuwirth. He's eighteen years old and a senior at Townsville High School. He has a couple priors including an assault charge on another student named Justin Bradley than was later dropped."

Gavin replaced his picture with Big Billy. "The big guy was christened with the inventive name of Billy Williams. He's unimportant."

Gavin replaced that picture with the final picture, that of the girl who went by the name Lil' Arturo. "This one," Gavin started, "I have no idea. She's not in the system. She has no priors. Her face is unrecognized. The name Lil' Arturo doesn't show up as a known alias for anyone."

"What does that mean?" Reenie asked.

"One of two things. Either she's a really good criminal and has never been caught, or she's completely clean."

Christopher spoke up. "What's a squeaky clean girl like her doing in the Gangreen Gang?"

"I don't know," Gavin replied. "That's up to you to find out. Desmond got you into the gang, but he's not important anymore. Your main objectives are to find out what Lucas is planning as well as finding out who this girl is and where she came from. You got that?"

"Sounds easy enough."

* * *

"It's about time you got here!" Buttercup said as Blossom stepped out of the the passenger side of Justin Bradley's Chevy Cobalt. Justin shut the car off and stepped out of his side as well. The Powerpuff Girls all had received messages from Tyler Osborn to meet him at the Bayside Community Center after school. Bubbles and Buttercup were there in minutes, but the sling on Blossom's arm kept her grounded, and it was an hour before Justin could get her to the community center.

"That's hardly fair," Blossom pointed out.

"She's right," Justin said.

"Whatever," was her reply. "At least we can go in now. Captain Osborn is inside, but he wouldn't let us in until were were all here."

"Lead the way," Blossom said, half jokingly and half condescendingly.

The girls, plus Justin Bradley, entered the building. Two police officers were standing outside of a pair of doors. When they saw that all three girls were present, they stepped to the side and waved the girls over. The proceeded through the doors and found themselves in a large auditorium. Tyler Osborn was standing at the far end on the stage with a strawberry blonde woman. She was young, no older that thirty, and had an infectious smile that the girls could feel from across the room.

The girls came over quickly and Osborn wasted no time. "Welcome girls. First, I would like to express my sincerest gratitude for having captured Norman Lumpkins. That being said, Breaking a couple laws and foolishly risking your lives-"Osborn pointed at Blossom's arm-"is not enough to convince me that you're ready to return to active duty. That's why I would like for you to meet Bridget Kay."

Bridget shook each of their hands (including Justin's hand) and kept her personable smile all the way through. "It's nice to meet you all," she finally said.

Osborn continued. "Miss Kay is a motivational speaker. She's having a convention at the community center in a few days. You are all here because Miss Kay has received threatening messages on her phone telling her to cancel the convention."

"So you want us to find out who it is?" Bubbles asked.

"Absolutely not," Osborn immediately replied. "Honestly, the police department has already looked into the threats and have found them to be unfounded. Miss Kay is still unconvinced, so you three will be her bodyguards for the next few days. I want to make this very clear. You are not allowed to investigate anything. You are not allowed to fight anyone. You are not allowed to break any law. If you can go a few days without breaking my rules and still come out successful, then you can be superheroes again."

* * *

That night, across town at Millennium Park, Lucas Neuwirth's team was doing yet another geometrical sweep on the area. Christopher was once again measuring the distances between certain trees and jotting them down to tell Lucas, who was waiting in the van with Billy. Christopher could see that the girl was doing the same thing not to far from him. Out of view from Lucas in the fan, Desmond Callahan was taking a smoke break on the bench.

Christopher left the trees and approached the tree cluster in which the girl was working in. "Lil' Arturo, right?" he asked. She smiled and nodded. "What's your real name?"

"How do you know that's not my real name?" she asked. She had such a kind voice. It immediately reminded Christopher of when she apologized for hitting him when they first met.

"A different question then," he proposed. "Are your Puerto Rican or Dominican. Don't tell me you're not one of them. I can tell that you are."

She smiled and nodded again. "Try a different question, perhaps one that doesn't have anything to do with my identity."

"What's your relationship with Desmond?" he asked.

She didn't smile and nod. Instead, the girls immediately darted her eyes to make sure Desmond was still facing the other way as he smoked. "Let's walk," she said. Christopher agreed and the two took to a nearby path by the lake. The girl picked up the conversation. "So I guess you've seen the way we look at each other. I might as well tell you. Desmond has been pursuing me ever since he got into the gang."

"You've never reciprocated those feelings?" he asked.

"It was one night," she said. "I wish I could forget it."

Christopher mused for a few seconds. "Wait. That means you've been in the gang for longer than Desmond!"

"Yeah," she said. "Why does that surprise you?"

Christopher quickly regained composure. "Sorry. You seemed so sweet. It was hard for me to believe that someone so sweet could have lasted so long in a gang without the gang becoming part of you."

"It affects people differently," she said. "Not counting you, Lucas is the newest member and he's the most influenced. I'm actually the oldest in this squad."

"So you must know why were here at this stupid park counting stupid trees and measuring stupid distances."

"Sorry," she said. "That all comes from Xavier, and we only hear what he tells Lucas to tell us."

"Xavier?"

"Yeah. He's our new leader. That man likes his secrets." The girl looked over to see that Desmond was no longer at the bench. "We'd better get back. We don't need Desmond snitching on us to the boss." She headed back to her tree cluster, but spun around quickly to say one more thing before continuing: "My name is Brooklyn Tanner and I'm Puerto Rican."

* * *

It was one of the most boring weeks that the girls had ever lived through, and that was including the two months they spent in the professor's basement. In the week that the girls had been protecting Bridget Kay, nothing of interest had occurred. Bridget had gone over her speech several times with her staffers as well as the staff at the convention center. She even gave a practice speech the previous day. Now, they were only hours away from her speech that the girls were beginning to side with Tyler Osborn. Bridget Kay was probably just overreacting.

They speech itself was interesting enough. It appeared that Bridget was once a graduate student at Columbia University in New York, where she began dating a young man who, for the purposes of the speech, was named Sam. She quickly fell in love with Sam, but it soon became apparent that Sam was over-possessive and violent. Bridget eventually dropped out of Columbia in order to work full time, since Sam had stopped working and the bills still needed to be paid. Eventually, Bridget managed to get out of her relationship with Sam, but no for another two years.

The speech itself was very motivating. Bubbles made sure the tell her that she loved the speech. Buttercup felt the same, but kept her feelings to herself. Blossom hated how strong the message was. The speech made the point that relationship can wait. It is more important to succeed in your own life before finding someone to share it with. Blossom hated it because she wanted to share her life with someone right now.

That morning, as Bridget was going over her speech inside, Blossom and Justin were sitting on a bench. "How's your arm?" he finally ask after a few minutes of silence.

Blossom gulped down the soda that Justin had bought her, surprised by the question. She didn't feel any pain, but the doctor told her to keep the sling for a few more days. She looked in Justin's eyes and saw he was expecting a pitiful answer. "It still hurts a little," she finally said. "It's getting better, though."

"I'm glad to hear it," he replied. Another silence. "Are you finished with the soda?" She nodded and Justin threw the can away for her. Then, another silence.

"Justin," Blossom said, with a serious tone in her voice. His body language demonstrated that he noticed it. "I know Fuzzy Lumpkins told you about the texts in my phone. Did you get a chance to read them?"

"Nope," he said as he kept his eyes on the building.

"Are you going to ask me about them?"

"Nope. We're not avoiding each other anymore. That's an improvement. Let's not ruin that."

"Justin-"

"Hold on," he said. "Check that out." Blossom looked to where he was looking. There was a man in a brown jacket clumsily crawling out of a window that led into the auditorium. "Do you think that's our stalker?"

"He must be," Blossom said. "I can't follow him, though. Osborn said I'm only to protect Miss Kay."

"I'll check him out."

"You don't have to."

"I want to." Justin stood up and approached the widow where the man had finally managed to wiggle himself out. "Howdy." The man was startled and was breathing heavily. The word 'busted' might as well have been written on his face. "What are you doing climbing out of the window?" Justin asked.

The man took a few deep breaths before answering. "I just thought it would be easier than the door." The man tried to get passed Justin, but he placed his hand on the wall to block him.

"Really," Justin said, "because Miss Kay has a bit of a stalker problem. That wouldn't happen to be you, would it?"

"No way!" he said in the most obvious lie in history. Justin just gave him a look. "Okay. I may or may not be Bridget's stalker, but there's a lot here you don't know."

"Enlighten me."

"Her entire speech is a blatant lie. Her whole career is based on lie. Her entire life is a lie. If you don't believe me, ask her yourself. Ask her if she remembers the name Cole Wakefield."

"Why don't you just ask her yourself," Justin said as her grabbed his shirt. At the thought of seeing Bridget, the man suddenly caught a burst of adrenaline and shoved Justin off of him and took of running. Justin chased after him, but the man took a bike he had hidden in the bushes and took off down the road.

"You're lucky I parked on the other side of the building!"

* * *

Lucas' team was hanging back at Desmond's apartment, just as they always did when they weren't out at Millennium Park. Billy was amusing himself with the Wii while his erratic movements occasionally knocked over the lap on the table next to him. Christopher kept to himself in the recliner while Lucas was in the other room, talking on his cell phone to a higher-up in the gang. Christopher was mainly trying to ignore Desmond and Brooklyn.

Brooklyn had sat on the couch first, perhaps hoping Christopher would sit next to her. Instead, Desmond took the spot. Brooklyn did not seem invested at any point in the conversation, and she even made occasional glances at Christopher whenever Desmond tried to turn to conversation to a romantic one. Brooklyn was expecting Christopher to save her, but he wasn't going to budge.

At last, Lucas poked his head into the living room. "Everyone in the kitchen. We have new orders." Billy paused the game and took his position at the table. Brooklyn followed. Desmond stood up and Christopher began to walk in behind him until Desmond spun around and pinned Christopher against the wall.

"I got you into the gang," he said in an enraged whisper. "Why are you showing me such disrespect?"

"Disrespect?"

"Brooklyn is mine," he growled. "I don't want you talking to her."

"Check the scoreboard," he shot back. "Brooklyn likes me."

"Okay," he said he let him go. "If that's the way to want to play." Desmond allowed Christopher to enter the kitchen before him. They took their seat opposite each other, with Desmond taking the seat next to Brooklyn.

"You two aren't having a problem that I need to know about, right?" Lucas asked.

"Christopher and I just had a little talk," Desmond assured.

"Grubber!" Lucas shouted. "His name is Grubber! Come on, guys! I came up with these code names for a reason. The least you can do is use them."

"What reason?" Brooklyn asked.

Lucas' face lit up. "For this exact mission of grand importance. I jut got off the phone with one of Xavier's right hands. We have finally been given something better than menial labor. We are going to steal the Book of Bakamin from the McCracken County Museum."

"You call that great importance?" Desmond fired.

"Why do you always have to pop my bubble, dude?"

"When are we stealing it?" Christopher interrupted.

"I like your enthusiasm," Lucas said. "I like your determination. I like your drive. Basically, I just like you. We wait for Xavier to call with the details, but it's going to be this week. Personally, I can't wait."

"What is the Book of Bakamin?" Christopher added.

"An ancient text used by demon worshippers from Western Europe," Billy said, surprising everyone.

"What he said," Lucas added.

* * *

"So what's the plan?" Buttercup asked as she sat down in the auditorium next to Bubbles and Blossom. "What are we going to do about that Wakefield guy?"

"I don't know," Blossom replied. "I told Miss Kay about him, but she swore that she'd never heard of him. Justin went to go see if he could find some information about him on the Internet."

"Are we investigating?" Bubbles asked.

"Not as far as Captain Osborn knows," Blossom assured. "As far as we're concerned, our only job is to make sure nothing happens to Miss Kay. Besides, that guy seemed like such a flake. What could he possibly to to harm Miss Kay?"

"It's starting," Bubbles said. The girls took their seats as the lights began to dim. A large screen lower from above the stage and the words _Bridget Kay: Survivor _was written large. A thunderous applause came as Bridget Kay came on stage with a smile and a wave. She kept smiling as the applause continued until it finally quieted down.

"Thank you," she began. "I'm glad you could all make it out today. Just looking out, I can tell that a lot of you are middle-aged. Most of you, I think, are reporters or bloggers or something. You're here because you have to be, it seems. That doesn't mean to what I have to say isn't for you. I think my message resonates stronger with teens and young adults, but the message is universal. It doesn't matter how old you are, it's never too late to put yourself on the top of your priority list."

Bridget pressed a button on a remote to change the slide behind her. Now, there was a picture of Bridget, a couple years younger, with a young man. Blossom immediately recognized him as a slightly younger version of Cole Wakefield. "I'm going to start by telling you my story," she said. "When I was a graduate student, I met a boy named Sam. we had the perfect relationship at first-"

"Why don't you tell them how we met?" someone interrupted. Everyone looked to the middle of the room, where Cole Wakefield stood with a megaphone. The lights came back on and a commotion took over the room. The girls sighed simultaneously before taking their positions. Bubbles and Buttercup immediately ran to either side of the stage while Blossom stood in between Bridget and Cole.

"Cole Wakefield?" Blossom began. He nodded. "What are you doing here? What do you want?"

"Don;t ask him that!" Bridget shouted. "Just get his out of here before he ruins my speech!" Bridget was frantic and almost hysterical in her demands.

"Sorry," Buttercup told her. "Captain Osborn gave us specific instructions. We are to protect you. As long as Cole doesn't threaten you, we can't force him out."

"I'll make this brief," Cole said. "Bridget Kay has gotten rich and famous for telling her side of the story, but I think it's about time Sam got his story told. My name is Cole Wakefield and Bridget Kay forced me to drop out of Columbia to support her. Everything she's said is only a reverse of reality. I dropped out of Columbia. I got a full time job. I got dumped by Bridget Kay."

"Shut him up!" she shouted.

"I'm a little interested in hearing this story, actually," Blossom said.

"Fine," she said as she pulled a gun from under her blouse. "I'll put an end to this."

"Come on," Blossom said as she faced her. "I'm literally standing in between you two. How is this not going to fail?"

"This bullet is not meant for him," she said she she put the gun to her temple. Now the entire room was in hysterics. Blossom cringed.

"Bridget!" Cole shouted. "Don't do this."

"Why not?" she shouted. "You come in here and ruin my career. Why should I?"

"Geez," he derided. "You were always such a drama queen. You know what? I don't even care. Go ahead."

"What!" Blossom interceded. "Okay. You're done, Wakefield."

"What do you mean you don't care?" she shouted.

"You heard me!"

"I'll do it!"

"Go ahead!"

"Seriously!

"I'm waiting."

"I'm gonna do it!"

"Any day now..."

Finally, after a quick staring contest, Bridget lowered the gun. Bubbles went in and snatched it while Buttercup restrained Bridget.

"What the hell was that?" Blossom demanded. "Did you know she was going to do that?"

"Yep," he said. "We go through this every couple months. Now watch what she's going to do."

Buttercup let her go and Bridget immediately ran into Cole's open arms. "I've missed you so much! I love you!"

"I know. I know."

"What did I miss?" Justin said as he came in.

Blossom replied. "I couldn't even describe it to you if I tried."

* * *

That night, just as Sergeant Gedge had promised, he was at the prison ready to pick up Tom Seaton for his trial date. He waited by the squad car until two guards led Seaton, fully dressed for his courtroom debut, out the doors and into the parking lot. The guards helped Seaton into the backseat and said goodbye to Gedge before heading back into the prison.

"Comfy?" Gedge asked as he slid into the car and turned the ignition.

"As much as can be expected, all things considered," Seaton said.

Gedge pulled out and soon they were on a back road toward the courthouse. Gedge had a habit of taking back road. He hated getting stuck in traffic and never bothered to allow himself to get stuck in one if he knew how to get around it.

Gedge continued to drive in silence until reaching a stop sign. He stopped, looked, and proceeded to continue. Just as he passed, a pickup truck pull out from behind the bushes and t-boned Sergeant Gedge's squad car. The car spun around a couple times and Gedge was momentarily knocked unconscious as his head hit the car door.

The car finally can to a stop. Tom Seaton released a held breath as the door next to him was pulled open. Malcolm Jules extended his hand and helped Seaton out of the car. "It's nice to finally see you again," Seaton said. "I was beginning to worry that you were actually going to let me rot in prison."

"You must understand my situation," Jules explained. "I'm short on allies these days and the ones I do have are not so trustworthy. Forgive me if I had to put you through a couple weeks of jail to make sure you could be trusted."

"Stop right there, Malcolm Jules!" Gedge said he he slid out of the car with his gun pointed at Jules. He had a gash in his head that was still bleeding strongly.

"Holster your gun, Sergeant," Jules ordered. "You're not going to shoot anyone."

After a few seconds, Gedge complied. "You were supposed to hit me from the other side. You know, so I wouldn't have this big gash on my head."

"It'll make it look more believable," Jules insisted as he led Seaton into the pickup truck.

"Seaton," Gedge added. "I helped you break out because Jules needs you for a specific mission. When it's over, I'm putting you back in that jail cell."

"Sure," he said. He climbed in and Jules followed without another word. The pickup truck drove off, leaving Gedge alone with his squad car. He climbed back in and pulled out the radio. "Station, this is Sergeant Zane Gedge. I have a 480. The prisoner escaped. I'm in need of medical attention."

"Roger, Sergeant," the dispatcher replied. "Backup will be at your position in a few minutes."

"Thanks," he said as he shut the radio off and let out a deep sigh.


	15. The Nondescript Manuscript

Chapter 16: The Nondescript Manuscript

That Thursday afternoon after returning from school proved to be a lazy one. Bubbles kept to her room while Buttercup continued to change the channel on the television, which she had been doing for the last hour. Blossom couldn't even sit still, but she she had nowhere to go. They still hadn't gotten the official word from Tyler Osborn that they were back on duty, and Justin was too busy with band practice to hang out. He was still texting Blossom on occasion, though.

The professor was down in the laboratory. He told the girls he had something to work on, but they knew he only wanted to be alone. He had a 56 inch television installed just the other day, so they knew he wasn't coming up anytime soon.

After another couple of minutes of the same monotony, Bubbles came into view as she walked down the stairs with her cell phone to her ear. "Yeah. Uh-huh. Ok. Sure. I'll tell them. Thanks." She hung up the phone and looked at her sisters, who were staring expectantly.

"Who was that?" Buttercup demanded.

"Captain Osborn."

"He called you?" Blossom asked incredulously.

"Yeah," Bubbles replied. "He said he called me because I'm, quote, 'not a bitch.'"

"Classy," Blossom said. "Well? What did he say?"

"Oh, we're back on."

"Sweet!" Buttercup shouted. "No more of this laziness crap. It's time to get out there and kick some criminal ass!"

"There's a catch," Bubbles added.

"Of course there is," was Blossom reply.

"Do you two remember Tom Seaton? We caught him when he was hiding out in North Haverbrook."

"I remember that guy," Buttercup said with a smirk. "He tried to run. What an idiot."

"Yeah. He escaped. We have to find him again, but this time, we don't get any hints. We did get a suggestion, though. Captain Osborn is working on getting a search warrant for Mr. Seaton's house, but he suggested that we just go check it out. We have to keep it incognito, so he told us to do it at night."

"What do we do until then?" Buttercup asked.

"Chill, I suppose."

Buttercup sighed. Blossom's phone buzzed, and she left the room immediately to answer Justin's text. Bubbles returned to her room.

* * *

Across town, someone else was also waiting for a text. Lucas Neuwirth and his team were back at Desmond's apartment as they usually were. Billy was playing the Wii as he always did, and Desmond spent most of the time either on the balcony smoking or on the couch trying to get Brooklyn's attention. Christopher stayed in the kitchen to avoid having to deal with Desmond's attitude.

Lucas was staring intently at the phone, as if fearing he would miss the text if he didn't watch it. Brooklyn leaned over to him. "Lucas-"

"Not now!" he yelled. "I am waiting for a very important text."

"Funny thing about texts," Desmond said. "They don't disappear. It'll still be there if you step away to make yourself a sandwich."

"Why don't you make me a sandwich?" he shot back.

"I am not your mommy, Lucas."

"Are you at least going to call me Ace on the mission?"

"I don't know. I haven't decided yet."

Christopher moved back into the living room, holding a soda he pulled from the fridge. "Did I say you could have that?" Desmond asked angrily as he stood and faced Christopher.

"Are you really going to make a big deal about a soda?" Christopher asked.

"It's my apartment! When you're here, you follow my rules. Understood?"

Christopher was desperate to hit him. Desmond was within arm's length. It would have been so easy, but Lucas' phone beeped, distracting everyone in the room as he dove for the phone and immediately ready the text. "Tonight," he said. "That's all it says. Tonight."

"That's all it needs to say," Brooklyn pointed out.

"Okay," Lucas said with a shrug. "Pack your bags. Tonight, we're going to the museum."

* * *

As the day went on, the sun commenced its setting, and the moon began its arrival. Justin and his band had been practicing for about three hours, and were taking a much needed break inside. Zachary was completely exhausted as he sprawled himself out on the living room couch. Gina-Marie returned from the kitchen with an orange soda in her hand, and Justin plopped himself in the recliner, took up the control remote, and placed his cell phone on the table next to him, still vigilant for a text from Blossom.

Gina-Marie opened her soda and sat on the arm of the couch next to where Zachary had laid his head and looked at Justin as he quickly picked up his phone to answer Blossom's text. "Justin," she said sternly in her staunch Australian accent. "I need to ask you a question."

"What?" he asked, both confused and worried.

"Are you committed to this band?"

"Whoa," Zachary added, suddenly jumping up from his position on the couch. "That came out of nowhere."

"Of course I am," Justin finally said. "What kind of question is that?"

"There is a second part to the question," Gina-Marie added. "Are you in love with Blossom?"

"She's gone insane," Zachary noted.

"What are you getting at?" Justin asked.

"It's something I've observed, and I don't think I like it," she explained. "How long have we had this band?"

"About a year now."

"How long after starting this band did you start dating Priscilla?"

"About a week or two after."

"I don't think I need to prove that Priscilla is not a likable person, even before her insanity. She ate up all your time. You started cancelling practices, and we could never get a show that fit around your Priscilla schedule."

"What's your point?" he defended. "If I remember correctly, you and Priscilla managed to reach an agreement. Everyone was happy."

"Everyone was happy," Gina-Marie noted. Then, she turned to Zachary and directed the question to him. "Remind me, Zachary. What did Justin do immediate after we came to an agreement with Priscilla?"

Zachary sighed. He knew where Gina-Marie was going and directed the answer right at Justin. "You started volunteering at Pokey Oaks, dude."

"Which," Gina-Maire added, "included after-school and daycare work that took time away from us. Now that you're no longer at Pokey Oaks, it seems to me that Blossom is working wonderfully as your distraction."

"That's a wild accusation," Justin defended. "I am committed to this band. I always have been. I always will be."

"Are you sure?" Gina-Marie posed. "I've never met the girl, but it's obvious to me that Blossom is in love with you. You might think that as long as you don't bring it up, she won't either, but sooner or later, Blossom will declare her love for you, and she will want you to stay with her."

"So?"

"So?" Gina-Maire mirrored angrily. "You have less than two months until graduation, Justin. Once you and Zachary graduate, we move to Los Angeles to pursue our music career. That's the plan. That's always been the plan. You need to decide if you are in love with her or not. If you decide to stay, Zachary and I can split rent in Los Angeles until we find another band member, but if you decide to come, you must realize that you cannot change your mind. The band must be your number one priority. Do you understand?"

"I understand," he shot back.

"Do you love her?"

"I don't know."

"Figure it out."

* * *

Everyone involved in the Gangreen infiltration besides Christopher himself was in the data analyst room at the police station watching the break-in at the museum as it unfolded in real time. Gavin kept his position at the computer, and made sure that his live video feed from Christopher's shirt was being projected onto the large screen against the wall. Melanie Reenie was coming in an out of the room at regular intervals. Nothing had really occurred yet. Christopher and the Gangreen members were in the van and on the way to the museum, but Lucas was driving extra slow and being otherwise extra cautious. In comparison, Sarah Bellum hadn't taken her eyes off the screen since arriving.

Tyler Osborn was there, watching the feed as they drove to the museum. He wasn't so much preoccupied with the success or failure of the mission. He was more worried about safety. Given the time frame he had to work with, Osborn decided it was in the best interest of the operation that he not warn the museum beforehand. The gang was expecting only one guard on duty. If they saw extra security, they would suspect a mole. Similarly, the Powerpuff Girls were kept in the dark. Osborn decided that one guard would not be able to stop a team of five, and so he gave Christopher simple orders: Help the gang steal the book, but do not assist in any other crime, including anything that has to do with the guard on duty.

Reenie came back into the room with her third cup of coffee of the night. It wasn't even midnight. "What?" she asked as she got the combined stares of Osborn and Sarah. "I always get my eight hours of beauty sleep. Staying up this late is difficult for me."

"I consider myself honored," Gavin remarked sarcastically. Reenie stuck out her tongue, but he didn't see it as he was still focused on the computer screen.

"They've arrived," Sarah said. Now, everyone turned their attention to the large screen. On the feed, they could see Lucas getting out of the van first. Christopher spun around so that those at the station could get a good look at were he was.

"They're at the south entrance," Osborn noted as he went over to a blueprint of the museum he had laid out on a table to his left. He took the black marker and marked the spot where the van was parked. He drew a line to the nearest door to the van. "It looks like they're going in through an emergency entrance."

"Won't that set off an alarm?" Reenie asked.

"Check it out," Gavin said. Everyone's eyes were back on the screen. The feed showed Brooklyn with a laptop and a cable that connected to box on the door. After a few second of suspense, Brooklyn gave the thumbs up and Billy pushed the door open. No alarm sounded.

"They're in," Sarah said. "Now all we can do is wait."

* * *

They five of them went in through the open door and stopped at the first intersection only a few feet in front of them. Lucas gave a quick signal, and Brooklyn and Desmond immediately took the left path. "What?" Christopher whispered. "Where are they going?"

"The camera," Lucas said as he pointed in front of him. "Lil' Arturo is going to jack in and set the cameras on a loop so the guard doesn't see us."

"Why does Desmond need to go?"

"Just in case," Lucas said. His phone beeped twice. He looked at it and nodded. "Lil' Arturo sent me the okay. The cameras are on a loop. Grubber, stay near me. Big Billy, stay to rear." Lucas continued down the hall with Christopher close by him. They took a couple more turns down a few more hallways until they were in the location they needed. Lucas had Billy stay back in the hallway while he and Christopher approached the book, which was sitting in a glass container on a pedestal.

"Any extra security?" Christopher asked.

"Nah," Lucas replied. "This is only a branch museum. It's relatively small compared to the other museums in town. It's literally never had a break-in. The guard is probably asleep in his office, actually."

"Hold it right there!" came a voice from behind him. "Step away from the exhibit and lay flat on the ground." They both put their hands in the air while turning around slowly. "I said get down on the ground!" he repeated. He was a black man, probably around six feet. He was probably quite athletic in his prime, but he appeared to be in his late fifties. He kept his gun pointed at Christopher and Lucas and repeated his demand, but it didn't matter. Billy came from behind him and immediately put him in a choke hold and covered his mouth.

"Great," Lucas murmured. "This is just great."

* * *

The Powerpuff Girls, meanwhile, landed about half a mile from Tom Seaton's house and ran the rest of the way to avoid being spotted from the house. His neighborhood was quaint and silent. It was an upper class suburban neighborhood where everyone was safely in their homes before sunset and in bed by nine. There was no one to see Blossom break a window and climb in to let her sister's through the front door.

"Welcome to Chez Seaton," she said. Buttercup smirked and Bubbles let out a slight giggle. "Do we even know what we're looking for?" she added.

"Nope," Bubbles said. "Captain Osborn wasn't specific at all. He just was we should check his house for any clues to his location."

"What makes him think that Seaton would have gone home after breaking out of jail?" Buttercup asked as she raided the fridge. "If I were breaking out of jail, my house would be the last place I'd go. That's where I'd expect the cops to be."

Blossom continued down the hall, opening all the doors and turning on all the lights as she passed. "Buttercup has a point. There's nothing here coming back for. There's a bedroom, a bathroom, and a room he used as an office, I guess. Other than that, Seaton has a living room with the regular living room furniture and a kitchen that looks like everyone else's kitchen. There's not going to be anything here."

Blossom returned to the living room and sat down on Seaton's couch. Buttercup sat on the arm with a sandwich in her hands. "When was Seaton arrested?"

"About a month and a half ago," Bubbles said.

"Do you think this cheese is still good?" she asked.

Blossom took a quick glance. "Looks fine to me."

Bubbles groaned. "I don't want to leave without finding anything."

"I don't either," Blossom said, "but even I have to admit this is a dead end." Bubbles shrugged. She agreed with Blossom, but she kept looking anyways. "Buttercup," she started. "You're probably the wrong person to ask, but do you think Justin likes me?"

Buttercup smiled. "You know, if you had asked me that two weeks ago, I would have laughed in your face. Now, I think you may be on to something. Don't get me wrong. I'm still fully against any relationship with Justin Bradley. You are a Powerpuff Girl, and that needs to be your top priority."

"Right," she muttered under her breath.

"Guys," Bubbles said as she poked her head out from the hallway. "I found something." They followed their sister into Seaton's office, where she led them to the desktop computer in the corner. On the screen there was a video, paused, of Tom Seaton standing in a room too dark to be identified. Bubbles let the video play:

"Hello viewers," he began. "This message is intended for either Captain Osborn or the Powerpuff Girls. If you are not either of them, please pause the video and fetch them. I'll wait." He did. For three minutes. "Good. Welcome. As you know, I am Tom Seaton. If you've come thinking that capturing me a second time would be as easy as the first time, you are sorely mistaken. I invite you to try and find me. You won't succeed. I have very important matters to attend to, and I don't plan on have party crashers. If you plan on stopping me, I suggest you get started. You don't have much time left. Good luck, heroes. You'll need it."

Blossom snarled as the video ended. "No one mocks the Powerpuff Girls and gets away with it! Tom Seaton is going down!"

* * *

Lucas was freaking out. There was no other way to describe it. In the intervening time, Billy had managed to find some rope in an adjoining supply closet to tie the guard's arms and legs. He also found some tape for his mouth, but Lucas ordered him to hold onto the tape until he ordered him to put the tape on the guard's mouth. Christopher, meanwhile, kept to the corner of the room without saying a word.

"What happened?" Brooklyn said as she entered the room. "There's a guard tied up in the corner. Why is there a guard tied up in the corner?"

"I don't know!" Lucas shouted in hysterics. "He wasn't supposed to be there. When the mission was given to me, it was made very clear that the guard was in his office on the other side of the building and that he never left it. That's how it always was."

"Apparently not," Brooklyn replied.

"I see that!" he shouted back.

"Calm down!" Christopher interrupted. His plea was met with deaf ears, however.

"It's you own fault," the guard spoke up. "One of you passed in front my office. If you hadn't gone by, I would never have left."

Everyone went quiet. None of them even went remotely close to that side of the building. "Where's Desmond?" Billy asked.

"That bastard," Lucas said.

"What?" Desmond asked as he came into the room.

"What?" Brooklyn mirrored. "Is that all you have to say? When you left me in the server room, you made it very clear that you were going to meet up with the others. You didn't say anything about making a detour on the other side of the building. Now, we have a guard to deal with, and it's your fault."

"I suppose it is," he replied. He turned to Lucas. "What are you going to do about it?"

"Me?"

"Yes," Desmond replied. "You. You are our leader. You know what must be done. He's seen our faces. He knows out voices. He's cannot be allowed to stay alive. It jeopardizes everything we've worked towards."

"Desmond!" Brooklyn shouted. "How can you be so callous?"

"It would be careless to let him live," he said.

"We can't kill him," Christopher said.

"Why not?" Desmond said accusingly with a death glare directly at Christopher. "If I remember correctly, you killed a man in order to get into this gang. You didn't know that man, but you did know that he was a good man who was only trying to uphold the law. You killed him in cold blood just to get in the gang. Now, he's another man who's just trying to uphold the law. You don't know him, either. What's the difference?"

"There is a difference," Christopher defended.

"I'd love to hear it," he said. "Otherwise, I'd have no choice but to question whether you really killed Sanderson."

"Would you guys shut up!" Lucas yelled. "I need to think." He approached the guard and kneeled so he could be at face level with him. "What's your name?"

"Elias Kelly," he replied. "You don't have to kill me, son."

"That's not up to you," Lucas replied.

* * *

"Callahan is right," Reenie said as quiet came over the gang in the museum.

"Melanie!" Sarah shouted. "I can't believe you. Wait. I take that back. You're cold and heartless. I believe it completely. Luckily, those of us in this room actually have hearts. Right, Gavin?"

"I'm staying out of this," he replied, throwing his hands in the air in a symbolic gesture of relieving responsibility. "After all, Captain Osborn is here. I'm not in charge. It's up to him whether we send in the cavalry."

"There's no question," Sarah replied. "This mission was risky from the start. It's a tough call, but there is no way we can let an innocent man's life hang in the balance. He have to send in a team to rescue Mr. Kelly. At the very least we have to send in the Powerpuff Girls. We have to send someone, Osborn."

"Hopefully," Reenie interrupted, "Captain Osborn has hindsight. If we send in a team to rescue Mr. Kelly, we'll save one life, but the gang will immediately suspect a mole. You saw the feed. Callahan already suspects something about Christopher. If a team gets sent in, there will be nothing stopping them from turning on Christopher. Mr. Kelly is an unfortunate loss, but right now, we have no idea what the Gangreen Gang is planning in Millennium Park. There could be anywhere from hundreds to thousands of people who could be relying on Christopher right now. We can't risk the operation. Not now."

"I can't believe we're even entertaining your idea!" Sarah yelled. "It's heartless! We have to save Mr. Kelly!"

"You idea lacks foresight," Reenie shot back. "We need to protect Christopher."

The both stared at Osborn, who was looking at the screen on the wall. Even Gavin was staring at the captain. He sighed and lowered his head. "We leave it alone. Send Christopher a text, and tell him not to interfere. We'll let Lucas Neuwirth make the decision."

* * *

Kathleen Keane, meanwhile, stood outside Elliott Meyer's house at around two in the morning, arguing with herself for the tenth time whether the question was worth waking him at two in the morning. Finally, she made the decision to knock on the door. There was no answer, and so she knocked again. She knocked again, even louder. "Come on," she mumbled. "There's no way you didn't hear that."

"Hear what?" Meyer asked as he stepped out of a taxi cab that had just pulled up into the driveway behind her.

"What are doing?"

"What am I doing?" he asked. "I'm being responsible. I'm drunk, so I did not drive home. Hurray for Meyer!"

"You're drunk?"

"Yeah," he said. "Why else would I be out at two in the morning. I gotta let loose. I gotta have fun. Being mayor is a stressful job, after all."

"Right," she replied. "Well, I was going to ask for some advice since you always give Blossom pretty good advice, but I can see that your incapacitated."

"Nah," he said with a shrug. "I'm cool. If anything, I'm smarter when I'm drunk."

"Well, you can't be any dumber. Okay. This is going to sound a little vindictive and petty, so bear with me. I'm jealous of Melanie Reenie."

"Why?"

"I don't know."

"Do you like the professor?"

"God no! John is a douche. I don't want anything to do with that man."

"Then you're obviously not jealous of Melanie."

"I'm not?"

"No. You're jealous of the professor. I'm not going to ask because I'm not one to pry, but it seems to me that you don't think that you deserve to be happy. At the same time, you don't think the professor deserves to be happy, either. You're mad because you wanted to be happy, and you're jealous of the professor because he has the happiness that you desperately want. Then again, I'm drunk, so I probably have no idea what I'm talking about."

"Maybe," she said as Meyer finally got his key into the lock and opened the door. He gave Keane a thumbs up before closing it.

* * *

Lucas was sitting against the wall, occasionally glancing at Elias Kelly and occasionally staring at the ground. Desmond was resting against the wall, waiting for Lucas to make the decision that he thought was obvious. Christopher was standing at the other end of the room. He wanted to intervene, but he received a text from Melanie Reenie was gave him explicit orders not to intervene on Elias Kelly's behalf.

Brooklyn, meanwhile, moved herself over to the book and picked it up from its precarious position. Everyone glanced at her as if she was doing something wrong. "What?" she shrugged. "This is what we came for, isn't it?" She flipped through the pages, but her expression soured as she reached the end of the book. "Did you guys know this book is blank?"

"Seriously?" Christopher asked as he went to peak over her shoulder. Brooklyn flipped through the pages again and, sure enough, every single page was blank. "What the hell does the gang want with a blank book?"

"Why should that matter to us?" Desmond said, still resting against the wall. "The book isn't for us. The book is for Xavier. If Xavier wants a glorified notepad, then that's what we're going to give him."

"Shut up!" Lucas shouted. They all looked at him. "I've decided." Lucas stood up and once again knelt down to face the guard.

"You don't have to kill me," he said again.

"I'm sorry," Lucas replied. "I do." Lucas motioned for Billy to grab the guard and carry him outside. The other three followed close behind as they went back through the hallway and out the door they came in, careful to make sure that they left no other trace of having been in the building. Billy carried him to a small wooded area behind the building and laid him down against a tree. Lucas took Elias' gun and pointed it as his head.

Christopher was fighting every instinct to move. Desmond kept one eye on Lucas and on eye on Christopher. Throughout all of the this, Elias Kelly hadn't said a word. He had resigned himself to his fate in silence. Finally, after a few seconds, Lucas pulled the trigger, and it was over.

* * *

The following morning, no one who was at the police station the previous night said a word. Sarah went to work as she always did, but didn't breathe a word to Elliott Meyer. Likewise, Melanie Reenie immediately returned to the Utonium residence and locked herself in the bedroom without saying a word to Utonium.

Utonium was out in the living room eating a bowl of cereal when Kathleen Keane came over to pick the girls up for school. For the most part, it went as it always did, but Keane couldn't prevent herself from asking what she's been holding back from asking for a long time.

"Ken," she started. He looked at her as she continued. "Are you happy with Melanie?"

"Seriously?" he asked with a snarl. The girls looked on from the door as the conversation appeared to turn into an argument. "Do you really want to have this argument with me, Kathleen?"

"Just answer the question."

He sighed. "Yes," he said.

"You don't deserve it."

"That's one person's opinion."

"It's the opinion of the only person who cares about you." Utonium just shook his head and returned to his breakfast. Keane filed the girls out of the house and into her car. Utonium knew he wasn't really happy. The fact of the matter was simple. No one was happy.


	16. The Invitation Perturbation

Chapter 16: The Invitation Perturbation

Desmond was pissed for more reasons that one. Firstly, Brooklyn wouldn't even stand near him. Secondly, he was out of sodas. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, Lucas had taken over his television. Ever since their return from the museum, Lucas had not left the couch and had not changed the channel from the local news. He would not even listen to a suggestion to step away, even for a second. He wanted to be ready when they found Elias Kelly's body.

His burial had been quick and rushed. He knew they would find it soon. In fact, Tyler Osborn had sent a recovery team before the sun had even come up, but Lucas didn't know that. Lucas also didn't know that he was wasting his time. Osborn kept the incident from the media due to the ongoing investigation. Still, it was likely that even if he did know that, he wouldn't leave the television.

"This is so stupid," Desmond complained. "Seriously, if we're not doing anything here, why are we all here in my apartment? We don't all need to be in my apartment!"

"What are you trying to say?" Christopher asked.

"Get the hell out of my apartment!" he shouted back. From the kitchen, Brooklyn made a loud scoff in protest to Desmond's demand. Christopher prepared to reply, but Lucas' phone beeped.

He immediately picked it up and read the text. "Oh my god," he said. "I'd go home and put on my Sunday best if I were you. Xavier himself is coming here tomorrow to pick up the book and pay us for the mission."

"It's about time," Billy said.

Christopher checked his phone for his own text. From Gavin: Get back here now. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow," he said. The others waved him off, and Christopher set off back to the police station.

* * *

"Trust me," Justin said as he took a bite out of his roast beef on rye at his usual Corner Shop table. "I thought about this for a long time last night, and I think I have a great idea on how to figure out the solution to my Blossom dilemma."

"What are you going to do, Justin?" Gina-Marie asked. "I agreed to meet you here because you said you needed to show it to me. I don't see anything here to be shown."

Zachary leaned over and nudged Gina-Marie, which caused her to scowl. "Relax," he suggested. "Justin ran me through the plan. It might seem a little odd at first, but you have to ignore your instincts. It's actually a pretty good idea when you think of it."

"What is it?" she asked again. They didn't have to answer. The answer was walking through the front door. "Oh. I see it now."

Blossom carefully let the door close behind her and spotted Justin almost immediately. With a smile on her face, she took the seat right next to him. "Hey Justin," she said. She turned to the others. "It's good to see you again, Zachary. Huh. I don't think we've met."

"We haven't," Gina-Marie clarified. "I'm Gina-Marie. I'm the drummer in Justin's band."

"Oh," Blossom said. "It's just that when I used to stalk Justin, I never saw you around."

"She doesn't go to Townsville High with me and Zachary," Justin explained. "She dropped out two years ago to focus on music."

"I see," she said with a negative inflection that Gina-Marie caught. "So, what was so urgent that you wanted to see me as soon as possible?"

"I have a plan, and I need you to bear with me on it," Justin said. Blossom silently assented to his terms before he continued. "I want you to go to prom with me."

Gina-Marie's jaw dropped. "That is not what I was expecting."

"That's my line," Blossom finally said. "Justin, are you sure? I mean, with Priscilla and everything-"

"I know," he interrupted. "That's why I'm asking you to prom. Whatever we have, Blossom, it's going to stay in this state of non-existence as long as Priscilla is out there in hiding. I think it's important to get her back here and safely incarcerated before I can make any decision."

"A decision about what?" Blossom asked, extremely confused and intrigued.

"I really can't tell you about it yet," he explained.

Blossom desperately wanted to pursue it, but she decided to drop it. "Justin, I honestly don't know what to say."

"Prom isn't for a few weeks," he said. "I know this idea of mine is completely crazy, so I understand if you need some time to think about it. You've got plenty of time."

"Right," she said as she stood up. "I guess I'll see you all later then."

She exited the building and Gina-Marie spoke up again. "I don't know what you're trying to do, but it won't end well. I guarantee it."

* * *

"Meyer!" Reenie shouted as she stepped out of the elevator and spotted him at the end of the hallway. He waited patiently for her to arrive at his location. "I'm glad I caught you. I needed to ask you if you were going to go over the budget report with Sarah tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?"

"Yes. Tomorrow."

"Melanie, I'm not even sure what I'm doing today. Hell, I can't remember what I did five minutes ago."

"Never mind," Reenie said as she spotted Sarah getting out of the elevator and walking toward them. "Here she comes now." Reenie waited as she walked with her eyes firmly placed on the notepad she was writing on. She glance up, caught sight of Reenie, and immediately spun around.

"You've got to be kidding me," Reenie mumbled before taking off after her. Sarah picked up the pace, but Reenie still caught up to her with ease. "Where are you going? The office is back that way."

"I was taking the scenic route," Sarah defended.

"The tour guides always tell people to avoid the path with Melanie Reenie on it lest it remind them of horrible memories."

"What do you want me to say, Melanie?" Sarah asked. "Do you want me to say I'm okay with it? I'm not. Do you want me to tell you that I'm mad at you? I'm not. Do you want me to say it affected me? It did. It doesn't help me to say it, though."

"I'm sorry it happened," Reenie said. "I know it's not my fault, it was fate. Unfortunately, fate won't apologize for itself, so I'll apologize for it. I don't need you to be okay with it yet. I'm not. I may be a criminal, but no one has ever died on my watch. What I need, Sarah, is for you to stay focused on the task at hand and work with me on this. The mission isn't over yet. Okay?"

"Okay," Sarah said, wiggling herself out from her stare and returned to walking in the other direction. Reenie opted not to give chase and returned to where she was.

* * *

"Christopher!" Gavin said with shock as he came into the data analysis room. "Good of you to drop by, eventually. We've been calling you to come in since the incident. Hold on a second." Christopher held his position as Gavin picked up the phone and dialed for the connection to another phone in the station. "Yeah, this is Gavin in the data analysis room. Christopher Mills just arrived. Tell Captain Osborn to get in here when you can."

Gavin hung the phone up and turned to Christopher to continue where he left off, but Christopher put his hand up to hush him before he could begin. Christopher picked up the conversation. "I didn't come because I knew you wanted to talk about my feelings about the situation. Officers generally gets treatment or counseling or something for that."

"That's usually protocol," Gavin confirmed. "Captain Osborn and I wanted to make sure you were still able to continue the operation."

"I've seen people die before," Christopher said calmly. "I'm fine. It would be offensive to Mr. Kelly if I gave up now."

"I'm glad you feel that way," Osborn said as he came into the room. "I'm not proud of what happened last night, but it happened, so we have to keep going. We still don't know what the Gangreen Gang is planning, so we need you to stay with Lucas' group a little while longer."

"That's not exactly what I had in mind," Christopher replied.

"Really?" Osborn said. "What exactly did you have in mind, then?"

"In my time with Lucas' team," he began, "I've realized one thing. They don't know any more than we do. They get their orders and they complete them. They don't have the slightest clue about what's going to happen at Millennium Park, but I can guarantee you it has something to do with that book. Xavier is coming to pick up that book tomorrow, and our only lead goes with it. We can't let that book go. We won't ever see it again."

"That's too much of a risk," Osborn explained. "Callahan already suspects you. Lucas and his team aren't doing anything except guarding that book. You'll never get passed them. Even if you did manage to get the book, Callahan will point the finger at you the instant he finds that it's missing. If the book doesn't provide any leads, we've lost all stake in the gang."

"It has to be the book!"

"You saw it yourself!" Osborn shouted back. "The book is completely blank. I let an innocent man die yesterday to ensure your safety! Don't tell me that was in vain!"

"He will have died in vain if we lose that book!" Christopher shouted.

"You are not going after that book. That's an order!"

Christopher stared unblinkingly, but didn't respond. It appeared as though he was begrudgingly admitting defeat and agreeing to stay away from the book. That's how it appeared as he left the room for the last time.

* * *

The day was over, and the Powerpuff Girls we back at home, getting ready for bed. Buttercup, always the rebel, was forgoing the traditional ritual of brushing ones teeth and continued to watch television downstairs. Bubbles was in the upstairs bathroom while Blossom was brushing hers in the downstairs bathroom. Utonium was in the kitchen, eating leftovers from the Chinese he had ordered for dinner.

Blossom finished in the bathroom and made straight for the stairs, but Buttercup stopped her with a question. "Hey, Blossom. What was the urgent news that Justin called you about?"

"It was nothing," she replied quickly.

"Are you sure?" Bubbles asked at the top of the stairs. "It sounded pretty important when he said it on the phone. Are you sure it wasn't something your sisters would like to know?"

"Yeah, I'm sure," she replied.

"She's holding out on us," Buttercup said. "Bubbles! Keep blocking the stairs. I'll corner her!" Buttercup left up from the couch and proceeded to follow Blossom around the house at top speed. Utonium tried to ignore it at first, but he wasn't one for patience.

"Stop it!" he shouted. "You should all be getting ready for bed. This is not the time to be running around like idiots!"

"Blossom has a secret and she's not telling!" Buttercup complained.

"That's what secrets are," Utonium replied. "Deal with it."

"It's about a boy," Bubbles informed.

"What boy?" was Utonium's immediate replied.

"Fine," Blossom said. "You guys are so pushy. If you must know, Justin asked me to prom."

"Really?" Buttercup replied, aghast.

"That's great!" Bubbles shouted.

"No it's not!" Utonium said. "I don't remember giving you permission to go out with a boy, Blossom."

"Double standard," Buttercup protested. "You didn't give us a choice when you got a girlfriend, so I don't see why you should have to approve Blossom's boyfriend."

"Boyfriend?" Utonium exploded. "That's a different story. Blossom, you are expressly forbidden from having a boyfriend."

"You don't control me!"

"I created you! That ought to count for something. Now everyone go to bed before I take away your TV or something like that." All three gave him snarky looks as they proceeded up the stairs, knowing full well that his opinion didn't count for anything.

* * *

Night turned into day as the sun rose, with Christopher Mills being the first to awake. It wasn't the sun nor an alarm that woke him, but the beeping of his cell phone from a received text. Christopher lethargically picked the phone up from the nightstand, expecting it to either be Reenie or Gavin. The text was from Brooklyn Tanner: 8:00. Millennium Park.

Christopher saw that he received the text at 7:00, but it was already 7:30. His phone had a habit of receiving text's later than they were sent. Christopher jump to the closet and put on his jeans, but hesitated at he reached for his department-issued shirt. After a quick deliberation, he chose a T-shirt without a live camera to the station.

Christopher made it to Millennium Park with just a few minutes to spare before 8:00, and he caught sight of Brooklyn sitting on the bench he expected to find her on. He sat down next to her and immediately saw her eyes were on the verge of crying. "What's wrong?"

"Everything is wrong," she admitted, tears still swelling up in her eyes. "I hate the gang. I hate Desmond. I hate what happened to the security guard. I hate with the gang has become. It didn't used to be like this. I swear. Xavier ruined it. I want to get out, but I'm afraid Xavier might come after me. I need help!"

"Okay!" Christopher replied, throwing his hands up in an effort to get her to stop. "I see your problem, but I don't know what you expect me to do about it. I want to help you, Brooklyn. I do. You seem like a really nice girl, but I don't think I can help you."

"Please!" she shouted, clinging to his shirt. The tears were no longer being held back. "I need your help, Christopher! I'll do anything. You have a hidden agenda. I know you do. I can tell. I don't know if you want to steal the book to sell it on the black market or something, but I know you want it for some reason. I'll help you. I will, but you need to promise you can help me."

"I don't know-"

"Please, Christopher!"

"Okay," he shouted. He sighed and though carefully about his next words. " I can help you. I'm working undercover with the police department. I need to get the Book of Bakamin before Xavier comes tonight and takes it. Desmond has it under lock and key at his apartment, but if you can get the key from him, I'll do the rest. Can you do that?"

"Absolutely," she said as she wiped the tears from her eyes. "I'd do anything for you, Christopher."

* * *

"I don't see why we have to go over the budget," Meyer complained as Sarah flipped through a couple quarterly reporter from within her manila folder. "It's like my car payment. If I don't have the money, I just wait until the last possible second and tell them I have the money. The bank will cover the extra and I have five days to get the money deposited before they charge me an overdraft fee. Since I get paid weekly, that hardly ever happens. It's a win-win. Why can't we run the city like that?"

"We try our best not purposefully fall in debt," Sarah explained. "That's how cities go bankrupt."

"They can do that?"

"Yes Meyer. They can. That's why cities have insurance."

"They do?"

"Yes Meyer. They do." Sarah flipped through her papers again until she found the sheet detailing the expenditures for that month. "It would appear that we have stayed within our projected figures this time around, but I spoke to one of our economist who said-you know what, I can't do this."

"He said that?"

"No Meyer!" she replied. "I can't do this. I can't be like Melanie. All my life, I've always played it safe. I've always thought that it's always better to err on the side of caution. That night at the museum showed me how wrong I am. I told Osborn to Mr. save Kelly. I realize now that it would have lost us the entire operation. Honestly, this whole public service thing requires someone who can skirt the rules. With the Powerpuff Girls around, I think you'd better of with something with more backbone to give you advice."

"Hold on," Meyer said. "You not quitting, are you?"

"Why not?"

"Because I need you," Meyer explained. "Melanie is amazing, but she's not perfect, and that's coming from someone who has apparently been manipulated to love her. Ever since she came on board, you've been scared that I'd fire you and replace you with Melanie. That's not going to happen. Melanie has been an valuable asset, but you're my chief of staff, Sarah. Nothing would ever get done around here if it weren't for you. Do you think Melanie would go over a budget report? Get real, and don't even begin to think you're useless to the Gangreen operation. If you're not there to give it some heart, who will?"

"Thank you Elliott," she said with a smile. "I really needed that."

* * *

As they day went on, the girls spent their day at Pokey Oaks as they generally did, with the exception, of course, that Blossom's sisters continually pressed her about Justin's proposal. It didn't matter that she explained it was only a plan to capture Priscilla Moore. All they were interested in was her answer.

"Are you going to say yes?" Bubbles asked for the millionth time.

"It's not as big of a deal as you're making it," Blossom replied. "I've told you two already. He didn't ask me to the dance as his date. He proposed a plan to capture Priscilla."

"That just so happens to take place at prom," Buttercup continued. "Read between the lines, Blossom. He's asking you to prom, just not in so many words."

"Who is asking whom to prom?" Miss Keane asked as she came into the room the girls were in. "Is this a conversation I want to know about?"

"Maybe," Buttercup replied. "Justin asked Blossom to prom."

"Justin?" Keane asked with a slight inflection of horror. "That certainly takes the student-teacher relationship to horrifying new levels, I suppose."

"To be fair," Bubbles pointed out, "Justin is no longer a volunteer here."

"Point taken," Keane said. "Still, it's just too weird. I can't approve of it. You girls have advanced far quicker than I imagined, but you're still kindergarten students. I can't approve of one of my students going to prom with a high school senior, especially a boy. They only have one thing on their minds."

"What?" Blossom asked.

"No one told you about-never mind then. I have to get back."

"Just as well," Blossom said. "The professor said I'm not allowed to date teenage boys either."

"He said that?" Keane asked with a sudden and stark change of expression and inflection. "Well, I suppose there is some wiggle room here. I say go for it."

"It's not even a date," Blossom repeated. "It's a plan to capture Priscilla Moore."

Buttercup scoffed. "If it's so simple, then why haven't you decided? It's not like we've had any luck find Tom Seaton or anything."

Blossom fumbled over her answer. "Well...I mean...fine! I'll give him an answer tonight if you'll get off my back!"

"That's all I ask," Buttercup replied with a smile.

* * *

"So he just walked out?" Sarah heard Reenie say as the former walked into the data analysis room that night. The question had been directed at Gavin Emerson, who sat at his computer as he always did. He had one eye on Reenie and the other on the computer.

"That's what he did," Gavin explained. "Christopher and Captain Osborn got into an argument about the next step. I have to agree with the captain on this one. It's simply too risky for Christopher to risk himself as well as the mission to go after that book."

"Did he agree to drop it?" Sarah asked, joining the conversation.

"I think so," Gavin replied.

"You think so?" Sarah asked incredulously. "What do you mean by that?"

"He didn't say it in so many words," Gavin explained. "He just left after being told not to do it. It seemed to me that he was dropping it."

Melanie Reenie put her hands on her face and walked to the other side of the room. She took a couple deep breaths and looked at the screen, which showed Christopher at Desmond's apartment, where he was expected to be. He was playing the Wii with Billy. She continued to watch the video in silence for five minutes. She saw Lucas coming in and out of a back room and also saw Desmond standing by the kitchen. Someone, however, was noticeably missing. "Where's Brooklyn?"

Gavin suddenly looked up at the big screen just as Tyler Osborn came into the room. "Huh," Gavin said. "You're right. Brooklyn's not there."

"Where is she?" Osborn asked.

"We don't know," Sarah explained.

Reenie shot the question via text to Christopher. Two minutes later, the reply came back: Don't worry about it.

"What does he think he's doing?" Osborn asked.

"He's going after the Book of Bakamin," Reenie answered.

"How can you be so sure?" Sarah asked.

"Don't take my word for it," Reenie explained, pointing at the screen that showed Brooklyn Tanner entering the apartment and waving at Christopher. "It's about to unfold right now."

* * *

Brooklyn Tanner was waving at Christopher Mills and Christopher Mills was waving at Brooklyn Tanner. It seemed innocuous to everyone else, but there was a special meaning in these waves. Once Brooklyn was done waving, she walked passed Desmond, into the kitchen, and then finally onto the balcony. Christopher tossed the Wii remote over to Lucas who had just come out of the back room and joined Brooklyn on the balcony. He closed the sliding door and jammed the locking mechanism with a small piece of wood to prevent Desmond from barging in on their conversation.

"You were successful?" Christopher asked.

"Of course I was," Brooklyn said with a smile as she slid the key into Christopher's hand. "I told you that I wouldn't let you down. I keep my promises, Christopher. That key opens the drawer that Desmond has the book locked in right now."

"You've done great," Christopher assured. "Now I just need you to do one thing. I'm going to send Lucas a bogus text from another phone claiming to be one of Xavier's right hand guys in a few minutes. It'll tell him to meet me down the street. That should get Lucas out of the apartment for long enough. Billy won't be a problem. He'll be glued to the Wii all day. All I need you to do is occupy Desmond while I sneak into the room. Can you handle that?"

"It'll be effortless," she replied.

Christopher's phone rang. He looked and saw the number for the data analysis room. He answered cautiously and couldn't even get a greeting in before Osborn's loud voice hijacked the conversation. "I gave you a specific order! What you're doing is insubordination!"

"No Osborn!" he shouted back. "What I'm doing is getting result."

"Unless you stop this immediately, I'm taking you off the case."

"Then I guess I'm off the case," he said as he hung up the phone. He returned to his conversation with Brooklyn. "You go back in first. I'll send the text in a few minutes and come back in. That'll be your cue to take Desmond out." Brooklyn nodded in assent and slid back into the apartment.

Christopher waited a few minutes on the balcony. He thought about everything that had happened since meeting Melanie Reenie. He remembered talking to Sarah Bellum and how he surprised her when he admitted that he knew Melanie Reenie was controlling him somehow. The control Reenie had on Christopher had long since worn off, and Christopher knew it. By the time the control had worn off, however, Christopher had something else to focus on. Whether his intentions were altruistic or not, Christopher was determined to save Brooklyn Tanner.

He glanced at the time on his cell phone and found that five minutes had passed. He sent the text to Lucas, took a deep breath, and returned to the room. As he entered, he heard Lucas stand up and address the room. "All right guys. I just got a text. I'm meeting one of Xavier's guys down the road. I'll be back in about an hour." Lucas grabbed his bag and rushed out the door. Billy didn't seem to notice and Desmond just rolled his eyes.

"Desmond," Brooklyn said in an innocent voice. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Yeah," he said, noticeably surprised by her suggestion. "What about?"

"It's private," she said, glancing at Christopher. Desmond nodded in agreement and followed her out of the apartment. Only Billy was left inside, and he was too preoccupied to notice anything around him.

Christopher brandished the key and slipped into the room that Lucas had been coming in and out of for the last few hours. He passed Desmond's unmade bed and reach the nightstand with the locked top drawer. Lucas popped the key in and unlocked the drawer. After taking yet another deep breath, he pulled the drawer out and found the Book of Bakamin.

"I hope you guys are watching," Christopher said in a smug tone and he put his hands around the book. He slipped the book under his arm, but it slid out in his haste. The book fell the the floor, open to a page somewhere in the middle.

"The pages aren't blank anymore," he observed. "Can you guys see this?" Obviously, Christopher didn't get an answer. He shook his head and picked up the book. He put in back on top of the nightstand and began to flip through each of the pages. The Book of Bakamin was no longer empty. Each and every page had some sort of symbol that Christopher couldn't recognize. The images appeared religious in nature, but not any religion he had ever heard of. Page by page, Christopher continued to find unrecognizable symbols until he had reached the end of the book.

"I hope you guys got all of that," he said. "There is some weird stuff in here."

"How weird?" Desmond asked from behind him. "Turn around, Christopher."

Christopher did as he was ordered. Desmond stood only a few feet in front of him, brandishing a handgun pointed directly at Christopher's head. Brooklyn Tanner was standing to his left. "I knew there was something wrong about you," Desmond began, "but a police informant? Even I was surprised by that one."

"Are you done?"

Desmond smiled and took a few steps closer. "No Christopher," he said with a growl. He took the butt of the gun and struck Christopher across the head, knocking him unconscious. "I'm just getting started."


	17. The Betrayal Portrayal

Chapter 17: The Betrayal Portrayal

Christopher Mills slowly opened his eyes. The pain prevented him from opening them any faster. As he slowly regained his senses, he felt that he was seated and tied up. He was sitting in the recliner in the living room and heavy-duty rope was used to keep him in place. On top of that, Christopher felt he was no longer wearing his shirt.

His eyes finally opened. He was in the living room as he had guessed. Desmond Callahan, still brandishing the gun, was standing directly in front of him. Lucas Neuwirth was standing just off to his right. Behind both of them, in the kitchen, Brooklyn Tanner was standing quietly.

"Welcome back to the land of the living," Desmond started derisively. "If you're wondering where your shirt is, don't bother. I know it was recording me, so I had it disposed. Now I believe it's time to get down to business. So I understand you are a police informant. How's that working out for you?"

"What are you doing?" Christopher asked. "If you want to kill me, then why don't you just kill me?"

"Xavier is on his way," Lucas reminded him. "He's in charge. He'll decide what is appropriate for traitors. Besides, I need to know exactly how much intelligence you passed on to the police up to this point."

"Not very much," Christopher derided. "You guys are a bunch of losers. I went undercover to find out about what's going on at Millennium Park, and you guys don't even know. Xavier doesn't tell you because Xavier doesn't trust you."

"That's enough!" Lucas shouted. "You don't know anything!"

"That'll do," a deep resounding voice said from behind Christopher. "You're not going to get any information from him that way." Christopher couldn't see the source of the voice, but he could tell who it was just by the dumbfounded looks of the Gangreen members as they looked at him. Xavier had arrived.

The man stepped into the apartment and over to where the others were standing, right in Christopher's view. He was a tall man, African-American, perhaps in his late twenties. His appearance was imposing in itself, but it was juxtaposed by his vestments. Xavier was dressed like some druid priest, with the exception being that his robe was green. His priestly garments were decked out with symbols and trinket that must have pertained to his beliefs. He recognized some of the symbols as matching those found in the Book of Bakamin.

"I understand that this young man is a mole for the police," Xavier said.

"What are your orders?" Lucas asked dutifully.

Xavier shrugged. "Do whatever you'd like. Obviously you have to kill him. Feel free to have fun, though."

"I like your style," Desmond said as he launched a punch at Christopher's jaw.

"You can't do it here, though," Xavier warned. "Where's my book, by the way?" Lucas nodded and quickly ran to the other book to retrieve it. He handed it to Xavier, and he continued talking. "Lucas, I'd like for you to accompany me back to base. Desmond, once you're done playing with the mole, you are invited to join me as well. However, we can't stay here. The police know about this place. We can't waste any more time here."

Everyone was in agreement, so Lucas helped Desmond untie Christopher. Desmond kept his gun at him, even though he was too beat up to do anything. He was led outside, and Christopher noticed that night had already fallen. He was led into the back of Lucas' van and tied up again. Desmond slid into the driver's seat and Brooklyn took the passenger's. Desmond hit the ignition and said, "the fun has just begun."

* * *

"Nothing," Gavin said worriedly. "I've lost everything. I have no audio. I have no video. I don't even have an active tracker. I lost everything when Desmond took his shirt."

"We have to rescue him now," Reenie demanded.

"And how do you propose we do that?" Osborn derided. "We could send some police officers, but they are going to find one of two things. Best case scenario, they are going to find the place deserted. Worst case scenario, they are going to walk into a trap. We have no idea how many Gangreen Gang members could be lying in wait by the time we get there."

"We have to take that chance!" Reenie insisted.

"No we don't," Osborn replied. "I gave him specific instruction not to go after the book. This is exactly what I was afraid of. We can't protect him and we can't save him."

"What about the mission?" Reenie pointed out. "The book isn't blank anymore. We need the book in order to evaluate those symbols."

"Actually," Gavin jumped in. His tone indicated he was unwilling to point this out, but felt he had to for the sake of clarity. "We don't need the book. Christopher flipped through all the pages. The symbols are recorded. Technically, we don't need him anymore."

"Melanie," Sarah jumped in, "I think they're right."

"You too, Sarah?" she said incredulously. "I tough you would be the one person on my side. Seeing how strongly you defended Elias Kelly's life, I thought you would do the same for Christopher. I guess he's not worth it."

"That's not what I'm saying-"

"No," Reenie interrupted, "but that's what you mean." Reenie picked her purse up from the table and began to storm out of the room.

"Where are you going?" Osborn demanded.

"To do what I have to," she replied.

* * *

"What time is it?" Buttercup asked as she flew through the air with her sisters. Buttercup was flying on her back with her hands resting behind her head, she she didn't feel motivated enough to pull her cell phone out of her pocket to check the time herself.

Bubbles obliged her request and checked the time on her cell phone. "It's almost ten," she said. "We've been patrolling for about an hour now. I think the streets are clean tonight."

"Which means," Buttercup said with a devious inflection, "that it's about time Blossom stopped wasting her time and started heading on over to Justin's house to give him an answer."

"I have time," she immediately pointed out. "He's not allowed to have visitors passed eleven, so I still have an hour." Blossom stopped flying suddenly and hovered as she checked the text she just received. "It's from Meyer: Not urgent, but come to the office ASAP."

"Oxymoron?" Buttercup asked.

"Kind of," Blossom replied. "Let's go." Blossom led her sisters back toward downtown and about ten minutes later, they flew in through Meyer's open window. "What's the deal, Mr. Meyer?"

"I am," said a man seated in a red chair across from Meyer. He's had thick Greek accent and was wearing a suit, although it looked heavily used.

Meyer stood up and continued where the man left off. "This is Stavros Stan- um, hold on. Stovi- no that's not it. Supa-"

"Stanisopoulos," he said from the chair.

"What he said," Meyer added. "Anyway, Stavros owns a small shipping company that operates out of Townsville. About a month or two ago, he signed a business deal with a man named Bruno Johnson."

"The Bruno Johnson?" Bubbles asked. Her sisters looked at her, surprised. "What? I watch the news. Bruno Johnson owns the largest shipping company on the west coast. He's one of the richest men in the United States."

"Yeah," Stavros added. "And he's a cheat and a liar, too. It's supposed to be a year-long deal, but now 'he's trying to break it after two months. I demand compensation!"

"Meyer?" Blossom started worriedly. "I don't know if anyone told you differently, but we're still the Powerpuff Girls. We fight crime. We don't handle legal disputes."

"Yeah," Meyer started, "but Stavros is a buddy of mine, and I kind of owe him money, so I told him I'd call the Powerpuff Girls, so I did."

Blossom sighed. "Fine. Let's go talk to Bruno Johnson. We should be able to get this figured out in a few minutes."

* * *

Melanie Reenie parked her car along the curb outside of the Utonium house and left the car running as she dashed out and fumbled though her purse for the key to the front door. Just as she pulled the set of keys out, the door in front of her opened, revealing Kathleen Keane.

"What are you doing here, Melanie?"

"What am I doing here?" she retorted. "What kind of question is that? I live here. What are you doing here? Better yet, what are you doing blocking the doorway? Let me in."

"Why should I?"

Reenie growled. "I don't have time for this!" Reenie grabbed Keane's arm and shoved her from the doorway. Keane tried to pull Reenie back, but Reenie simply pulled her arm out of Keane's grasp and easily shoved her against the wall. "Where is John?"

"None of your business!"

"Where is he? I need to see him right now!"

"What is going on up here?" Utonium asked as he poked his head out from behind the door leading to his laboratory in the basement. He looked as saw Reenie breathing heavily and Keane seated on the ground against the wall.

Reenie didn't give him time to process what he was seeing. "John, I need your gun."

"For what?"

"I don't have time to explain. I need to borrow your gun."

"Why do you need his gun?" Keane mirrored.

Reenie groaned again. "For crime!" she shouted. "I'm a criminal, so obviously I need it for crime." She turned back to Utonium. "Give me the gun, John."

Everyone was silent for a couple seconds until Utonium motioned for Reenie to follow him into the basement. Shocked, Keane followed them. Utonium unlocked the drawer and handed the gun to Reenie.

"You can't be serious," Keane protested.

"I need my perfume, too," Reenie added.

"The one she uses to manipulate people?" Keane added. "There's no way. John. You can't do this."

Utonium ignored her and tossed Reenie the bottle of perfume from the table in the corner. Reenie thanked him and made for the stairs. Utonium added one more thing before she left the house. "You are going to return my gun, right?"

"Of course," Reenie assured.

* * *

Blossom was totally calm sitting in the chair in the waiting room just outside of Bruno Johnson's office. Bubbles had found a coloring book among the magazine in the rank and was completely content to wait. Buttercup, however, was getting more and more fed up for every second she remained waiting.

Buttercup was pacing back and forth, and suddenly changed direction and began to walk toward Bruno's office. The elderly secretary at the desk by the door raised her hand. Buttercup obliged. "You can't go in there," she said. "Mr. Johnson is in a meeting."

"Do you know who I am?"

"Yes," she replied. "You're Buttercup of the Powerpuff Girls. Do you have an appointment?"

"Appointment?"

"If you don't have an appointment, then please have a seat. Mr. Johnson will be with you as soon as he's out of his meeting."

"Maybe we should listen," Blossom suggested.

"Convenient for you," she replied. "The longer we wait, the more likely it is you can wait until tomorrow to give Justin an answer."

"That's a lie!"

"Guys," Bubbles interrupted. "He's out of his meeting. Several men and women came out of the office. One man, balding and little overweight, shook everyone's hands as they left the room. He waved until they were all out of the room and sighed when they were out of sight.

"Mr. Johnson?" Blossom asked.

"Yes," Bruno replied.

"I'm Blossom of the Powerpuff Girls. Do you mind if we ask you a few questions?"

"About what?"

"Stavros Skalibopoulos."

"I think it was Swenikopoulos," Bubbles added.

"Stanisopoulos," Bruno corrected. "What about him?"

Buttercup answered. "He's perturbed about you breaking his contract, and somehow we got caught up in it, so now we have to decide who is at fault. Right now, I think it's you."

"I didn't do anything wrong," he said. "I'll even show you the contract." Bruno led the girls into his office and pulled out a small stack of papers stapled in the top left corner. "He broke his side of the deal, so I have every right to end the partnership. It's all in the contract."

"There's like forty pages here," Blossom lamented. "I think we should take this back to Meyer so he can look at it. Mr. Johnson, could you meet us back at the mayor's office?"

"Sure."

"Oh joy," Buttercup said. "More stalling."

* * *

The van stopped. Christopher had lost all track of time. The rope was tightened to the point that he could feel himself slipping in and out of consciousness due to the lack of clear circulation of his blood. Desmond and Brooklyn opened the back door and pulled Christopher out in an empty parking garage. The only things Christopher could see were empty parking spots and cement walls. No was around for miles.

"You won't kill me here," Christopher remarked. "It's empty, but it's not abandoned. There are lights on, so that must mean this parking garage is in use."

"Very observant," Desmond said as he dragged Christopher and rested him against a wall. "This is just a pit stop. I want to have a little fun before I dispose of you."

Christopher blocked him out. He looked behind him to see Brooklyn sitting on the bed of the van. She was looking at Desmond, but not with the same feeling of disgust or hatred that she usually bore him. These were eyes of devotion. "Brooklyn," he said. Her eyes suddenly darted to him. "Why did you tell him? Why did you betray me?"

Brooklyn didn't reply, but Desmond couldn't stop laughing. "Is that what you think she did? Do you think she betrayed you?" He waved her over. "Come over here, pet." Brooklyn immediately ran over to Desmond and wrapped her arms around his torso, clinging to him as if she were about to fall. He turned back to Christopher. "You see, for her to have betrayed you, she would have had to have been on your side at some point. Brooklyn is my pet, and she does whatever I tell her to do. I must say, she is a wonderful actress. She had even me convinced."

"You're lying!"

"Am I?" he asked rhetorically. "She wanted to do it. When I told her I suspected you, she pleaded with me for the opportunity to discover your motive. She performed very well. She exceeded my expectations." He took Brooklyn's face in his hand and led it to his face. His kissed her, and Christopher winced in pain and disgust.

"I'm sorry, Christopher," Brooklyn said. "It's nothing against you, but I need Desmond. I can't live without him. You were in his way, so I had to help get rid of you."

"Isn't life a bitch?" Desmond asked as he kicked Christopher in the stomach. He gave Brooklyn another kiss before kicking Christopher again. He shoved Brooklyn off of himself and began pummeling Christopher until he began to lose consciousness again.

* * *

Bruno Johnson arrived at the mayor's office only a few minutes behind the girls, who were in no real rush to get back. Blossom handed the contract to Meyer and explained what little she knew about the situation.

Meyer's eyes lit up with anticipation. "Believe it or not, I have a law degree."

"I don't believe it," Buttercup said. "Honestly. I don't believe it."

"Give me a few minutes and I'll have this figured out," Meyer said with a smile on his face as he took the contract and exited the room.

Bruno took a seat next to Stavros, but neither of them would look each other in the eye. "Hello, Stavros," Bruno finally said, still facing the wall.

"Hello, backstabber," Stavros replied.

"That was uncalled for," Bruno said sternly.

"Why?" Stavros defended. "You are a backstabber, so I think I'm in the clear here."

"Would you two shut up?" Buttercup complained. "It's bad enough I'm stuck babysitting you two. You don't have to act like babies on top of it."

"Miss Keane says it's good to talk about problems when they arise," Bubbles said. "I think it would be helpful if you gave us the full story."

"Gladly," Bruno said. "As you know, I run a multi-million dollar corporation, and Stavros run a little mom-and-pop thing. Well, Stavros and I go way back, so when he approached me with a deal to unite our capital, I was a little worried about it at first. He assured me, however, that it would be mutually beneficial."

"Don't let him fool you," Stavros interrupted. "He was just as much into the deal as I was. He figured partnering with me would help his image. People thought he was some corporate ass who only cared about profit."

"It was good at first," Bruno continued. "I gave him capital to run his business, and in return, I got customers to fuel my business."

"Then what happened?" Bubbles asked.

"Business," Bruno explained. "Everyone in the business world has enemies and I'm no exception. The difference was that they couldn't touch me. All my asset were protected, all except Stavros. They knew they couldn't hurt me, so they attacked Stavros. As part of our deal, I was required to financially help Stavros' business, but that was on the condition that I had more customers to support all the capital. My enemies were taking Stavros' customers, so I was losing capital. The deal was was supposed to be mutually beneficial, but I was losing money just to protect him. I would've gone bankrupt if I didn't break the deal."

"That's not my problem," Stavros exploded. "You made a deal, and now you have to live up to it. I wouldn't have lost my customers if it weren't for you. I wouldn't be on the verge of losing everything I had if I hadn't gotten into the deal. It's your fault I'm being attacked, and now you have to protect me."

"Poor Stavros," Bubbles said. "You made a deal, Mr. Johnson. You have to live up to it."

"I have to side with Bruno," Buttercup said. "He may have made a deal, but he can't allow his company to fail because if it. Bruno Johnson employs thousands of men and women. They'd lose their jobs if Bruno spent all his money protecting Stavros. What do you think, Blossom?"

"U-um," she stuttered, "can't he do both?"

"Figured it out!" Meyer exclaimed as he came back in the room. Everyone turned to him expectantly. "You're both at fault. This was a stupid idea from day one. There's a reason why your deal was unprecedented. It's stupid for both of you. Stavros, it was stupid of you because you have nothing to offer him. You became his weakness. Bruno, you have a company to run and thousands of people relying on you for their paychecks. You can't afford to give one guy special treatment. That's not fair to your employees."

"That's nice," Buttercup said, "But that doesn't answer who's at fault right now."

"Oh," Meyer said. "No one is. The notary never stamped it, so this contract has been invalid since day one."

Buttercup sighed. "Great. Now we can go home. Where's Blossom?"

"She left," Bubbles said.

"Was it something I said?" Meyer asked.

"I think it was everything you said, Mr. Meyer," Bubbles replied.

* * *

It was about an hour from Utonium's house to the apartment complex where Desmond Callahan lived. Reenie parked the car and ran up the stairs to Desmond's apartment. She took a deep breath before knocking three times on the door. After a few seconds, Big Billy answered.

Billy kept the door mostly closed, only opening to the point that only his head was visible. "Have you heard to good news?" she asked in a faux chipper voice.

Billy raise an eyebrow in confusion, inadvertently opening the door a couple inches in a false sense of security. Reenie took the opportunity and quickly pulled the gun him behind her and pointed it on Billy's head. "Start walking backward and take a seat on the couch," she demanded.

Billy did as he was told. Still with the same look of confusion, he took a seat and waiting for instruction. "What do you want?" he asked after a few seconds of silence.

"Nothing," she said. "I'm just going to kill you." With that, Reenie cocked the gun and pulled the trigger.

Billy flinched, but opened his eyes to see that he was still alive. He turned his head to the left to see that Reenie had purposefully missed. "You didn't kill me?"

"Nope," she said as she pocketed the gun once more. "I'll make this quick. You're thankful that I didn't kill you. You're grateful that I didn't kill you. You would do anything for me since I spared your life. Does that sum it up?" Billy nodded. "Good. I need to know where Desmond and Christopher are."

"I don't know," he said.

"You're not lying to me, are you Billy?"

"I would never lie to you," he assured. "I don't know where they are. Desmond took him somewhere to beat him up before disposing of him. I don't know where he took him for that."

Reenie sighed. "Where would Desmond take Christopher to dump him?"

"Glass Lake," he said. "No one goes there because of all the sewage run off, so people have been using it as a dumping grounds for years."

"Thank you Billy," she said as she left the apartment. "You did well."

* * *

Blossom flew low and flew slowly so as to avoid waking anyone in the early hours of the morning as she made the journey to Justin Bradley's house. It was nearly three in the morning when Blossom finally reached the house, and she saw the light in Justin's room was still on. Justin was always a night owl.

Blossom came down and levitated just outside his window. Inside, she could see Justin working on his computer. His guitar was laying on the bed, so Blossom knew he had just finished using it. Since it was late, Blossom figured he was probably only tuning it.

Justin yawned, but showed no indication of going to bed. Blossom didn't waste any more time and knocked lightly on the window. Justin spun around suddenly, spooked by the sudden sound. He adjusted his eyes to the darkness outside and immediately recognized Blossom. He got up and opened the window. "What are you doing here? I'm not supposed to have visitors after eleven."

"Don't worry," Blossom said. "I'm not a visitor. As long as I levitate out here, I don't think it counts."

Justin laughed under his breath and nodded. "Okay. That makes sense, I suppose. What are you doing here now, though? If you came to give me an answer, it could have waited until tomorrow."

"No it couldn't," Blossom insisted, "because if I waited until tomorrow, I would be afraid that I would talk myself out of this. I'm certain this is the right answer."

"Well?" Justin urged, worried.

"I can't go," she answered.

"Are you sure?" He asked. "Why not? After all, it's just to pull Priscilla out of hiding."

"No Justin," she said sternly. "It's not just that."

He sighed and lowered his head slightly. "No, you're right. It's not just about Priscilla."

"I can't go to prom with you. I can't be with you, Justin."

"Why not?" he shot back. "This is what you've always wanted."

"Yeah, but I can't always get what I want. I have a duty to protect Townsville. For the most part, I'm invincible, but if some opportunistic villains want to get at me, all they would need to do is get to you. Then, I would expend all my efforts in saving you, leaving the villains to go about their merry way."

"That wouldn't happen."

"I'm sorry, Justin. My decision is final."

* * *

The van stopped for the last time. Desmond and Brooklyn exited their respective doors and opened the back doors. They didn't bother tying Christopher up before. He was too busy holding his jaw and the gash in his head. Desmond took Christopher my the ankles and dragged him out into the grass.

"Grab his arms," Desmond demanded of Brooklyn. She immediately heeded his orders and took the other end. They trekked through the trees until they were at the lake's edge. They dropped him and Desmond pulled the gun out from his back pocket.

Christopher groaned. "Did you say something?" Desmond asked. "I'm sorry. You're going to have to speak up."

"Brooklyn..."

"Oh please!" Desmond said. "Get it through your thick skull, mate. She doesn't like you. She never did. Brooklyn has only ever loved me. Codependency is a beautiful thing."

Desmond raised his gun again, but spun around upon hearing Brooklyn shriek. He looked into the darkness to see Melanie Reenie with her left hand over Brooklyn's mouth and her right hand holding a gun pointed at Brooklyn's head.

"Who are you?"

"That's not important. Let Christopher go, or your girl will be sharing his watery grave."

Desmond scoffed. "Like I care what happens to her." He turned back to Christopher and raised his gun. Reenie, however, pulled the trigger in Desmond's direction, hitting him in the side. He immediately dropped the gun and hit the ground. Reenie shoved Brooklyn to the side and immediately moved to get in between Christopher and Desmond.

Reenie had her gun on Desmond as he held his side to prevent the bleeding. Desmond stared at her until she lowered the gun. "What are you doing?"

"Letting you go," Reenie explain. "Now you're grateful. What you're going to do now is take your little girlfriend and report back to Xavier that you took care of Christopher. Then, you are never going to mention him again. Is that understood?" Desmond nodded. "Good. Get lost."

Desmond picked himself up and hobbled over to where Brooklyn was laying. He grabbed her and they proceeded back to the van. Brooklyn stopped. "Where you really going to let that lady kill me?"

Desmond was stunned by the question. "It was a bluff," he said before grabbing her arm again and proceeding back to the van.

Reenie helped Christopher back up and rested him against a tree. "Are you alright?"

"Not really," he said, still holding his wounds. "But you saved my life again. I'll fight through the pain for you."

Reenie sighed. "Good. There is one more thing I want you to do for me. Do you have family?"

"Yeah," he replied. "My parents live in Salt Lake City. My sister is fifteen now, I think. A good Mormon family. I haven't seen them in years."

Reenie pulled her wallet from her pocket and counted out a thousand dollars in one-hundred dollar bills. She took out a small sheet over paper and quickly jotted down an address. "Go to this address. Give them my name and one-hundred dollars. They'll clean you up. Then, I want you to go to the bus station and buy a one-way ticket to Salt Lake City. I want you to go straight home and apologize for leaving. Then I want you to forget everything about Townsville. Do you understand?"

"Sure," he said incredulously, "but what are you going to do?"

Reenie shot him a smile. "I don't know. I can't go back. Osborn will be waiting with handcuffs. I guess I'll just drift along."

"Are you ever going to come back here?"

"Are you kidding? Why would anyone ever want to return to Townsville?" Reenie led Christopher back to the road. He declined the offer to be taken to the address written on the paper and bid goodbye. Reenie slid into the seat and started the car.

"So long, Townsville, and good riddance."


	18. The Pyrrhic Lyric

Chapter 18: The Pyrrhic Lyric

"It's been two weeks since the Gangreen Gang have even showed their faces at Millennium Park," Meyer said during the PST meeting. Sarah was standing behind him on his left side as she always did. Sitting across the desk, John Utonium and Tyler Osborn were sitting with an empty chair in between them. Kathleen Keane was supposed to be sitting in that chair, but she was far too energetic to stay seated.

"Hey guys!" she said joyfully as she danced to the song playing on her iPod. "Do you know who else hasn't shown her face for two weeks? Melanie Reenie!"

"Yes Kathleen," Utonium said with an exasperated tone. "We know. You won't let us forget. Can we get back to the conversation at hand?"

"Of course," she said, taking her seat in between Osborn and Utonium. "Continue."

Sarah nodded and picked up where Meyer left off. "It would appear that the Gangreen Gang has been working on something new for the passed two weeks. On top of that, Tom Seaton has been off the radar for the same amount of time as well. I'm beginning to think that he and the Representative have skipped town."

Kathleen Keane raised her hand like a child in a classroom. "Yes, Kathleen," Sarah said.

"You know who else skipped town? Melanie Reenie!"

Osborn groaned. "Miss Keane, could you drop it? I know you like vilifying her-"

"That's because she's a villain."

Osborn continued, "but you can't deny she did a lot of good while she was here. I can't say for what she's up to now, but I've received reports from the local police in Salt Lake City. Christopher Mills is safe and living at home with family. She's fine with me as long as she stays out of Townsville."

"I'll accept that as a victory," Keane said smiling.

"Can we get back to the matter at hand?" Meyer asked. "Something is going down at Millennium Park, and all the major players have dropped off the map."

"As far as we know," Sarah added. "the higher power could be working on something completely different. He may not even know about the Gangreen Gang and their plans."

"Conversely," Osborn continued, "They could be working together, and from what we know about the Book of Bakamin as well as the higher power's experience with genetic manipulation, we could be looking at something lethal to an unprecedented degree."

* * *

Tom Seaton parked across the street in the parking lot of a closed down movie theater. Most of the businesses on the street were closed down, so the street was empty when he turned the car off and stepped out onto the sidewalk. Seaton made sure the street was empty before walking over the the building across the street.

The building was a dojo, long since closed like everything else in its vicinity. The only exception was that the the building had been purchased for a few weeks prior with money from Tom Seaton's personal account, and Seaton wanted to make sure personally that his money was being put to good use.

Seaton took another look around him before knocking on the front door. The door opened slightly, with a head popping out just enough to see the the source of the knock. When he saw it was Seaton, he pulled the door open and sighed. "Mr. Seaton," Lucas said as he rested against the door. "You've been here seven out of the last seven days. What gives? I hope the gang isn't giving you any cause to worry, is it?"

"No Luke," he derided. "I just want to make sure my money is being put to good use. Every time I come here, I feel like Xavier is brushing me off. I don't like being kept in the dark about my money, and neither does the higher power."

"Lucky for you, Xavier has something to show you. Also, don't call me Luke, or I'll start calling you Tommy."

"Fair enough," Seaton said. "What does he want to show me?"

"Patience," Lucas insisted as he led Seaton inside. Seaton walked in and took to the stairs before Lucas. The two of them walked up to the second floor and approached a balcony overlooking the main training two looked down as around fifty gang members were practicing basic martial arts moves in tandem with each other as if by one brain. At the head of the room stood Desmond Callahan, appearing as cold and emotionless as ever as he led the group.

"It's impressive, but I hope Xavier has more to show me than some group calisthenics," Seaton bemoaned.

Lucas shot him a smirk. "You have no idea."

* * *

"Do you guys practice in the garage all the time?" Bubbles asked as she examined the drum set. she tapped the cymbals, and was somewhat surprised by the sound they made.

Gina-Marie returned to her drum set and sat down before answering Bubbles' question. "We are a garage band. That's kind of what it means." She took a large gulp from her bottle of water before tossing it in the corner and picking up her drumsticks. She turned to Zachary, who was busy explaining the different parts of the bass guitar to Buttercup. "Lover boy!" she shouted. "Stop flirting. Where's Justin?"

"Still inside," he replied.

Gina-Marie rolled her eyes and began to hit the kick drum rhythmically, just to cure her boredom in her wait.

"So," Bubbles said, "Do you guys have any songs?"

"Some," Gina-Marie said, "but we usually don't play them. We kind of suck at song writing. We mainly play covers."

"Covers?"

"That means we play songs from famous bands. The crowd would rather hear a song they're familiar with anyway."

"So are you going to play a cover at prom?"

"Yeah," Gina-Maire replied. "The kids want to hear a song they can dance to, so that's what we're going to give them. We're only allotted time for one song, so we might as well make it an enjoyable one." Justin came out of the house with his guitar in hand and nodded to his teammates. "Finally," Gina-Marie mumbled.

"We're playing an original song at prom," he suddenly said.

"Oh great," Gina-Maire said. "What brought on this sudden onset of insanity?"

"What are you talking about?"

"She's right," Zachary said. "Have you forgotten that our songs suck?"

"Even if Blossom's not going to prom with me, she's still going to be at prom," he explained. "I might be able to convince her to give me a shot with the right song."

"I repeat," Zachary said. "Have you forgotten that out songs suck?"

"Our old ones do," he continued, "but I'm working on one now. It's going to be perfect. I can already tell."

Gina-Marie sighed. "We're doomed."

* * *

John Utonium came home that night after watching a movie at the theater. He wasn't originally going to stop, but the billboard adverting the movie, admittedly, looked amazing. It was an action movie, but Utonium failed to remember any of the plot as he exited his car and approached the front door.

It was locked. Utonium never locked his front door. On edge, Utonium took out his keys and unlocked the front door. Further putting him on guard was the fact that the kitchen light was on. He tiptoed in, but found the kitchen empty. He turned back around the living room and flipped the switch to find a woman sitting in his recliner. She had short dark hear that reached no farther than her shoulders. She was wearing a sky blue T-shirt, blue jeans, and red-framed glasses. She appeared extremely comfortable in Utonium's chair.

"You're edgy," she said. "You act like this is unusual. You do have three daughters now. Did it ever occur to you that it might have been them who locked the door and left the kitchen light on?"

"The girls don't use the front door," Utonium replied as he exhaled calmly. "What are you doing here, Reese?"

"Doesn't that question answer itself?" Reese replied rhetorically. "After all, what other reason could I possibly be here for, Ken? Or do you go by John now?"

"You can't have the girls, Reese."

Reese shook her head, rolled her eyes, and stood up from the recliner. "Why would I want the girls? In case you have forgotten, I work for the Devon Group, not an orphanage."

"Why are you here if you don't want the girls?"

"The Devon Group isn't interested in three little girls. We were hoping for something more along the lines of three million soldiers. In order to achieve that goal, we need the Chemical X."

"Chemical X?"

"Like it?" she said with a smile. "It's a little nickname I came up with for whatever it is you put into those girls. As far as the sugar, spice, and everything nice goes, we have all that, but a bunch of reanimated corpses isn't exactly what I would consider to be a good use of time and money. Superpowers, though? That's the new goal."

"Get lost, Reese," Utonium demanded. "The Chemical X is my concoction. You have no right to it."

"That's probably true," she replied, "but I'm not in the business of facts. I'm in the business of results. You did, after all, mix your chemicals in our labs and on our dollars. I think it's only fair that we reap some success from this, don't you?"

"Get out."

"Last chance."

"The only reason there isn't a gun in your face is because I let a friend borrow it two weeks ago. Get lost."

Reese nodded and backed away until she reached the door. "Just remember that I gave you the opportunity to resolve this quickly and quietly." Utonium remained silent, so Reese simply closed the door behind her.

* * *

Back at the dojo, Tom Seaton was getting tired of sitting around and waiting for Xavier to return from where ever he was. He had to admit that he was impressed at the gang members down below on the dojo floor. They had been training for hours and none of them appeared to be fatigued in the least. It was impressive, but it wasn't enough to quell Seaton's worries.

Meanwhile, Lucas Neuwirth kept running back and forth from one room to another room. He was carrying book and papers or leading a gang member to where they needed to be or jotting down some notes in regard to those training on the dojo floor. He had a knack for organization at the very least.

Finally, after several hours, Lucas returned to Seaton, who was standing by the railing and watching them train below. "Hey," she said. "I'm going to need you to move to the side a little bit. There's a big cargo coming through." Seaton looked over to see four guys lifting either side of a large golden altar and sliding it into a room to Seaton's left.

Seaton turned back to the stairs to see Xavier bringing up the rear, still wearing the green robes he had become known for wearing. "Mr. Seaton," he said. "I wasn't aware you were hear. I would have returned sooner if I had known."

"Sorry," Lucas said. "I've been busy."

"I don't blame you," Xavier assured. "everything is going smoothly, so there is nothing to worry about."

"I might beg to differ," Seaton said. "I understand that you have to spend money to make money, but I seem to be missing over ten thousand dollars from my account. What exactly did you buy that cost over ten thousand dollars?"

"That," Xavier replied, pointing to the door on Seaton's left.

"The altar?" he asked incredulously. "That one altar cost more than ten thousand dollars? Why on earth would you buy an altar worth more than ten thousand dollars?"

"You can't put a price on the heavenly."

"Yeah, well, whoever sold you that altar managed to put a price on heavenly, and that price was over ten thousand dollars! I'm sorry Xavier, but unless you can convince me right now that whatever is going down at Millennium Park is worth all of this money, I will go back to the higher power and recommend we cut your funding immediately."

"Have you not seen them in down there training?" he asked.

"Impressive," Seaton said, "but these guys are going to be fighting the Powerpuff Girls. It's going to take more than just determination."

Xavier turned to Lucas. "He hasn't seen it yet?"

"I thought it would be best to wait until your return," he replied.

Xavier nodded and approached the ledge. "Desmond!" he called. Silently, Desmond looked up and faced Xavier. "Show Mr. Seaton your new gift."

"Gladly," Desmond replied. Desmond rolled up his sleeves, revealing a tattoo on his upper right arm of a symbol taken from the Book of Bakamin. He faced the fifty or so gang members in front of him and invited them to rush at him.

In seconds, Desmond was surrounded by the very members he had been training for hours. A barrage of fists and kicks came from all sides, and Desmond was dodging each and every one of them. Without breaking a sweat, Desmond was blocking and dodging any and all attacks coming his way before finally getting bored and fighting back.

Desmond took hold of one arm that came at him, broke it, and used the boy's body as a weapon to repel those standing behind him. He swept another on his left, causing a domino effect to those behind him. Desmond quickly became rabid and lost control. It wasn't long before Desmond was simply wailing any anyone within arm's length.

Desmond leaped several feet in the air and landed on the other side of a Gangreen operative who had long since given up on fighting Desmond. He tried to crawl away, but Desmond grabbed him by the collar and lifted him in the air. Desmond readied his fist, but Xavier leaped down to the dojo floor and grabbed Desmond's arm before any more damage could be done. "Enough," Xavier commanded. "You did very well today. I'm impressed. Now get some rest."

Xavier jumped several feet up and back onto the second floor with Lucas and Seaton, who was visually stunned. "I take it that you are impressed?" Xavier asked.

"Beyond impressed," Seaton answered. "The Powerpuff Girls won't even see it coming."

* * *

The next day, Bubbles, Buttercup, Zachary, and Gina-Marie founded themselves sitting at their table at the Corner Shop. "I like hanging out with you guys," Zachary said after taking a drink from his soda. "It makes me feel like I'm important. Like I have friends and stuff. It's cool."

"Whatever," Buttercup replied. "As long as you don't get too friendly."

"What we should be worried about is Justin and his self-destructive methods at gaining Blossom's attention," Gina-Marie said. "No. I take that back. It's worse than self-destructive. His little plan is going to take the whole band down. This band is all I have."

"It's just prom," Bubbles said.

"No," Gina-Maire immediately replied. "It's a room full of our prospective target audience. This could very well be our chance to gain a following among the teenagers of Townsville and we can't do that with some sappy love long!"

"Sappy?" Buttercup mirrored.

"I've looked at it. It's sappy. Justin wants us to practice it tonight so we can be ready to play it tomorrow. On top of that, I'm technically going to prom with Zachary, so there's double the insanity."

"Oh," Zachary suddenly spoke up. "I meant to talk to you about that-"

Zachary was interrupted when someone in a ski mask suddenly barged through the front door, gun in hand, and pointed it at Bossman who was working the cash register. "You know the drill," he said, although a bit shakily. "Money in the bag."

"You don't have a bag," Bossman pointed out. The man seemed genuinely surprised by this fact. "Besides," Bossman continued, "You have to be crazy to rob here. Don't you know the Powerpuff Girls hang out here all the time?"

"No they don't!" he replied angrily.

"You're probably right," Buttercup said as she appeared next to him. "We're probably not here. This is probably just a figment of your imagination."

Bubbles appeared on the other side of him and tapped him on the shoulder, causing him to shriek and drop his gun. "That being said, do you really want to take the risk, or do you just want to go ahead and give up?"

"What?" Gina-Marie suddenly shouted from the table. Apparently, in all the commotion, Zachary and Gina-Marie hadn't paused their conversation. "You're going to prom with Lacey? When were you planning on telling me you had asked that anorexic bitch to prom?"

"She's not anorexic," Zachary defended. "She's bulimic. There's a difference."

Suddenly, Buttercup ran over to them and joined in the argument on Gina-Marie's side. "Wait. I thought you had a crush on me! I thought you were in love with me!"

"I am! I was! I am!" Zachary couldn't form sentences any longer than that out of the initial fright. "Well, she technically asked me."

Bubbles was distracted by which situation she should deal with. She glanced back and forth between the thief and the argument before noticing blond hair sticking out of the ski mask that she instantly recognized. She removed the mask and looked at him closely. "You! Gas station thief!" She glanced back at the argument, where Buttercup had Zachary in a headlock and Gina-Marie was about ready to hurt him.

"Just go," she told him. He didn't have to be told twice. He was out of sight in seconds and Bubbles was back in, breaking up the argument. "What is the problem here!"

"Zachary was supposed to go to prom with me!" Gina-Marie yelled. "I don't go to Townsville High. I need a date that does just to get in the front doors. Now, I have no way of getting in tomorrow."

"I'm sorry," Zachary said. "I'll fix it."

"You had better," she demanded before storming out. The others just stood in silence.

* * *

Upon leaving the Corner Shop, Gina-Marie texted Blossom to meet her a couple blocks down just outside of the subway station entrance. Gina-Maire was still fuming when Blossom came down and landed beside her. "Whoa," Blossom said, quickly noticing her emotion. "What's wrong?"

"Zachary!" she shouted, slightly scaring those walking beside her. She shot them a look before returning to Blossom. "And you! I have a problem with you!"

"Calm down!" Blossom said, throwing up her hands and going on the defensive. "What did I do to you?"

"You didn't do anything to me," she snarled, "but you're acting like a stupid little brat, and it's embarrassing."

"Let's start from the beginning," Blossom suggested. "You said something about Zachary. What's that about?"

"Zachary was supposed to take me to prom. Since I don't go to Townsville High, I need him to get in, but he decided to ask Lacey to prom. He didn't even bother telling me!"

"You're playing at prom," Blossom rightfully pointed out. "Won't they let you in for that?"

"Yeah," she replied. He voice was still looking for an argument, and she didn't appreciate Blossom pointing out the obvious. "That's not the point! It's the principle of the thing! Zachary said he was going to prom with me! He ought to stick to his word!"

"What's the big deal? You were going as friends, right?"

Gina-Marie shook her head, clearly getting upset with Blossom's use of common sense. "That's not what I called you for! I want to talk to you about Justin!"

Blossom rolled her eyes. "Look, that's done. I gave him my answer, and I'm not changing my mind."

"Yeah, I heard the story. You don't want to date Justin anymore because it would interfere with you job as a superhero. Let me ask you something. Do you still love him?"

"I'm not answering that."

"Do you think you might be able to be with him later on?"

"Maybe."

"You're an idiot!"

"What's your problem?"

"You! Justin is not going to wait around. If you don't go to prom with him, he is going to make us play a song that he wrote yesterday. He's going to use the Pyrrhic lyric."

"The what?"

"Love!" Gina-Marie shouted. "He's going to sing a song that uses the word love and he's going to sing it to you in order to get your attention! We're a punk band! We don't sing about love. We sing about anarchy and smashing stuff!"

"Why? Does he love me?"

"Of course he doesn't! Justin wants what he can't have. Did you ever wonder why he dated Priscilla? He pursued her because she didn't want anything to do with him. Eventually, she relented and they started dating. Justin started complaining about her just weeks later."

"So what you're telling me is that Justin doesn't really like me, he just wants to date me so he doesn't feel like he lost. You're kind of making him seem like a big jerk."

"He is," Gina-Maire replied, "but that's not the point. The point is that you fell for him, and you're about to lose your only opportunity. If this plan of his fails, he's coming with Zachary and me to Los Angeles soon after graduation."

"He's leaving?"

"Not unless you can convince him to stay. Maybe Justin doesn't really love you, but you'll never know unless you take this chance!"

Blossom wasn't sure what to say except, "You're mean when you're heartbroken. Zachary should be careful."

* * *

Mid-afternoon at the dojo, most of the gang members had already dispersed for home. Only those still working on last minute details like Lucas were still running around from to room to room. The only exceptions were Desmond Callahan and Brooklyn Tanner. The former had been forced into living at the dojo since police had already taken his apartment. Likewise, Brooklyn feared going back to her apartment by herself and had already spent most of her time at Desmond's apartment anyway.

Desmond and Brooklyn were forced to take the floor in the weight room in the back of the dojo. Brooklyn tried to make it feel more like home, but Desmond hated it, and he didn't care that Brooklyn knew it. "It's just a weight room, pet," he growled. "You can't hide that with a couple of carpets and a stupid dresser. It's still going to be a weight room. I still have to go up the stairs and down the hall if I want to use the bathroom. I still have to eat canned food because this place doesn't have a refrigerator. It's pointless!"

Brooklyn lowered her head. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you mad."

Her reply only seemed to make him madder. "It's not what you're doing, it who you are. Your presence just pisses me off sometimes, because if you're not doing something stupid now, I know you're going to do something stupid later. It's amazing you're still alive."

Brooklyn suddenly looked up and into Desmond's eye. "Do you want me to die? When that lady had the gun to my head, you were going to let her shoot me."

Desmond growled again and grabbed Brooklyn by the arm. "I told you it was a bluff. I knew she wasn't going to shoot you."

"How did you know that?"

"I just did! Why do you have to question my judgment? I'm smarter than you, so I know what I'm doing. Won't you just shut up!"

"Whoa," Lucas said by the door. "I guess I picked a bad time to pop in."

Brooklyn returned to silence. Desmond to looked at Lucas. "What do you want?"

"Nothing," he said, "but you guys seem really stressed. It's got to be this building. You need to get out."

"What do you suggest?"

"Prom," Lucas replied. "Look, I'm going to my high school prom tomorrow. If you want, I know a guy who get get you two tickets. It'll be nice. You guys haven't been on a date in a long time, so it'll be good for you."

Still silent, Brooklyn looked pleadingly into Desmond's eyes. He snarled, but relented. "Fine. We'll go to your stupid prom."

* * *

Justin was fiddling with his guitar with a broad smile on is face. "You guys looked over the lyrics, right?" Justin asked. "We'll practice all night if we have to. The song has to be perfect if it's going to work."

"Justin," Zachary said, leaning against the wall and spinning his bass on the ground, "do you remember when I told you that all of our songs suck? This song is no exception."

"I didn't ask for your opinion, Zachary," he said, trying to keep the conversation from turning into an argument. "All I'm asking is that you play the bass. Is that so much to ask?"

Zachary picked up the bass. "I guess not, but this song hardly has any bass in it. You have me on the same chord for most of the song. It's like you purposely want me to be invisible up there."

"Why do you care?" Justin shot back.

Gina-Marie fielded the question. "Because this is not your band, Justin! It's our band, and we don't want to play this song!"

"I got us the gig! We're playing this song! On my count: One. Two. Three-"

"Stop!"

Everyone looked around to see where it came from, but the echo in the garage led to some confusion as to its origin, Everyone knew, however, that the screech belonged the Blossom, so they all eventually turned to the sky to see the stream of red coming down and landing just in front of the garage.

"You can't be here," Justin said.

"I'm here on official business," Blossom explained. "A good Samaritan called me to inform me about your heinous plan, Justin."

"Heinous?"

"You were planning to use the Pyrrhic lyric, and that's a crime punishable by life of shame and ridicule."

"Pyrrhic lyric? Damn it Gina-Marie! You weren't supposed to tell her!"

"I'm mad at you Justin," Blossom explained. "I'm mad that you would try to take advantage of my fickle heart by using the word love even if you didn't mean it. I'm mad that you were willing to risk your band's image in order to do it. I'm mad that you didn't bother to tell me any of this. I'm mad mostly, however, because you're planning to move to Los Angeles and you didn't even tell me."

It was silent for a few seconds until Justin realized it was his turn to speak. "I'm sorry. I don't know what else to say."

Gina-Marie once again fielded the comment. "Say that you'll pick her up around 7:00 tomorrow."

Justin looked back at Blossom. "What she said."

"I'll be waiting." Blossom smiled quickly before flying off. Justin returned to the inside of his house without a word to his band mates, leaving them to disperse on their own.

* * *

Kathleen Keane entered the mayor's office without her headphones this time. After two weeks of nonstop celebrating, it was beginning to bore even her. She looked to see Elliott Meyer and Tyler Osborn in conversation with Sarah Bellum standing off to the side, looking over a sheet of paper.

"What's going on?" Keane voiced. "What did I miss?"

"Nothing," Osborn said. "It's just the same thing we've been doing for the last two weeks. We're looking over the symbols found in the Book of Bakamin and trying to see if we can find any significance in them. It's nice of you to finally join us, however."

"Sorry," she said as she took a seat next to Osborn. "My mind has been off somewhere. I'm back now. I'm ready to support the Powerpuff Girls!"

"Great," Meyer said, taking a sip of his coffee. "I can't make heads or tails of these symbols. I photocopied them and distributed them to the interns. They're not having any luck, either. As far as the Internet knows, the Book of Bakamin is completely blank."

"Let me see one," Keane asked. Sarah handed her one of the papers she had in her hand, and Keane's eyes grew wide immediately. "Berserker."

"What?"

"That's what the symbol means," Keane said. "This symbol is from an extremist druid sect from the middle ages. There were only a handful of them, and they were all executed by the church. Why didn't you show me these sooner?"

"I'm sorry," Osborn said sarcastically. "I'll make sure my first instinct is to ask the kindergarten teacher should I ever have any trouble with a case in the future."

"Never mind," Keane replied. "Let me see the other symbols then."

"Sarah picked up the folder and handed it to her. Keane flipped through them, naming as many of the symbol as she could. "Warrior. Cleric. Fighter. General. Knight. Alchemist. These symbols referred to jobs that they had in their society. They were all necessary for their ultimate goal."

"What goal?" Sarah asked.

"These people worshiped a demon, represented by this symbol." She pointed to a picture with what appeared to be a lobster. "They wanted to big him into this world in corporeal form."

"Very good," came a voice by the door. "I was coming to tell you all that myself, but I guess you don't need my help after all."

"Who are you?" Sarah asked.

"I'm Reese Baum," she said as she extended her hand for Sarah and Meyer to shake. They both did. "I understand that you have a problem. The Gangreen Gang is in possession of the Book of Bakamin, and you have just now deduced what they plan to do with it at Millennium Park."

"And I bet you know how to stop it," Osborn said.

"I'll do you one better," Reese replied. "Not only will I tell you how to stop the gang, I'll even tell you to identity of the higher power."

"I know this woman," Keane replied. "She works for the Devon Group, an organization of multinationals. I already know that she wants to Powerpuff Girls in exchange for the information."

"John didn't tell you? I don't want the girls. I just want the Chemical X so the Devon Group can mass produce super soldiers." No one said anything, so she continued. "I'll tell you what. I'll leave my cell number with your secretary. Call me back when you're ready to deal. I trust you'll make the right choice because, one you find out more about what this demon is capable of, you'll have no other choice."


	19. The Princess Distress

The Princess Distress

"You're wearing a tuxedo," Keane observed as she approched John Utonium, who was trying to stay invisible by the snack table. "I was shocked when Meyer told me that you were going to be here, but now I find you here in a tuxedo. It's almost as if you wanted to come and have a good time."

Utonium gave Keane a ticked off look. He grunted before giving his answer. "I didn't want to come. Meyer begged, and when he told me that Reese Baum had somehow gotten herself signed up to be parent chaperone, I really had no other choice."

"Reese doesn't look a day over thirty," Keane commented. "Anyone who thinks she's the mother of a high schooler must be an idiot."

"Come now," Reese said as she slid in between them to grab a cup of soda from the table directly behind Utonium. "You don't have to flatter me with your compliments, Kathleen. I'll feel bad, since there's nothing about you to compliment in return."

"I'd really appreciate it if you stopped talking to me, Reese," Keane demanded.

Reese took Keane's demand to heart. She kept her mouth closed and pointed behind Keane for her to turn around. Keane spun to see Zachary in the middle of an argument with his date, Lacey.

"I'm too tired to dance right now," Lacey insisted.

"When will you not be tired?" Zachary asked. "The only time that you've even bothered to move from that chair is to go to the bathroom."

"I have an overactive bladder!"

"I'm sorry," he shot back. "I wasn't aware your bladder was in your throat!"

"That's enough!" Keane interrupted. "Lacey, stay seated. Zachary, go cool off."

Zachary groaned before walking off toward the west door of the school gym. Here, he saw Buttercup and Gina-Marie in the middle of a conversation. He tried to duck out of their view, but Buttercup caught sight of him and dragged him over by the collar before he could even notice what had happened.

"Imagine my surprise to run into my own band mate at prom," Gina-Marie started. "I thought Justin said to meet up in the parking lot."

"I came with Lacey's mom," he defended.

"Speaking of which," Buttercup added. "Where is the lovely lady?"

Zachary was rescued from any more questioning when Bubbles came and pulled Buttercup away. "Did you know that the mayor is here?"

"What?" Buttercup asked incredulously. "Why is he here? He knows it's going to get dangerous if and when Priscilla drops in."

"I don't know. I saw him, but I wasn't able to talk to him. I lost him in the crowd. Let' split up and try to find him." Buttercup nodded in ascent. Bubbles started walking, but immediately bumped into a random teenager, causing her to drop her soda. "I'm sorry," Bubbles said immediately.

"It's not a big deal," Brooklyn replied. "I'll just get another cup." Bubbles returned to her search, and Brooklyn returned to the table and got another cup of soda. She took it across the gym floor and handed it to Desmond.

"What took you so long?"

"I'm sorry," she said with eyes lowered. "I dropped it. I had to get another cup."

"Excuses," Desmond said as he took a sip.

"Okay," Lucas said uncomfortably. "I'm going to let you two have fun." Lucas slid off, breathing a sigh of relief that he didn't have to hear them argue all night. Lucas kept pushing through the crowd until catching sight of Justin and Blossom by the stage.

"Well if it isn't my favorite singer/guitarist?"

"It certainly isn't my favorite gang member," Justin shot back. "Don't bother denying it. I can tell." He turned to address someone behind him. "Candace! Please escort Lucas away from the stage."

"Yes boss," said before beginning to shoo Lucas away.

"That was annoying," Blossom said.

"A little," Justin said, "but that's all he is: an annoyance. Forget about him. Priscilla will be here. We need to make sure we're ready."

* * *

Osborn, back at the police station, was looking over the investigation from the Gangreen Gang with another officer. He had been looking over it for a couple of hours at this point, refusing to believe that the Gangreen Gang would be wasting their time trying to summon a demon, an obvious impossibility in his eyes.

The other officer in the room stood up and left the room, just as Sarah Bellum came in through the other door. "Captain Osborn," she said to pull his attention away from the documents. "What are you doing?"

"Working," he replied. "Isn't that what you should be doing? In case you forgot, your job is back at the capitol building."

"Actually, my job is where ever Elliott Meyer is, but it would see that I lost him around lunch today. He's been trying to duck out from under my supervision all day. I don't know what he has planned, and I really don't care. I trust he can take care of himself, at least for a few hours. I came down here to ask you if you were actually taking the demon threat seriously."

Osborn thought about his answer. "I don't want to," he finally said, "but I don't see any other option. Clearly, that's what the Gangreen Gang is planning. The question is whether or not we prepare for supernatural war or not."

"Either way," Sarah opined, "The gang has something dangerous planned, and Reese Baum knows what it is."

"On the other hand, Reese Baum has something dangerous planned and we do know what that is. The Devon Group, however, is a mystery. They don't exist, not according to any records I've seen."

Sarah mused over the documents on the table. "Townsville isn't the same place it used to be."

* * *

"The beat!" Blossom yelled over the music to Justin, who was standing only inches away from her. "How did you describe it?"

"Pumping," Justin explained.

"The beat is pumping?"

"Yeah. That's right."

"That doesn't make any sense. I hate this music. Teenagers actually like this junk?"

Justin pointed to the dance floor to illustrate his point. Everyone was dancing, and they were dancing provocatively. Even Zachary and Lacey were getting along with each other long enough to enjoy the music. Surprisingly enough, Gina-Marie was dancing with Candice.

Blossom looked away from the dance floor, but immediately glanced back at the far corner of the room. Zachary had stopped dancing with Lacey and was now talking with Gina-Marie, but Blossom looked passed that and stared at a man standing stoic against the wall. She looked to the other end of the room to see another man, dressed similarly, standing in the same fashion. She turned to the corner behind Justin too see yet another man dressed and standing alike as well.

"She's here," Blossom said. "Priscilla is here and she brought friends. We have to get out of here."

She grabbed Justin's arm, but her realization came too late. The men she saw, as well as several others that she had not seen, pulled out their concealed weapons simultaneously and grabbed the first person they could as hostage. They all began to fire their weapons into the air, which immediately created panic until it became obvious that the men were blocking all the exits.

They were all holding a hostage, so Blossom stood her ground until the riot finally began to subside. Another man, fairly tall and wearing a suit with a blue tie, came in through main doors of the gym. He stood in the middle and addressed the crowd. "Good evening, everyone. My name is Roger Hillenburg. In case you haven't noticed, you are all my hostages. I am going to ask you all to be very cooperative. My men will divide you all up and take you to different rooms. Don't bother attacking your hostage taker. I will remain in contact with everyone. If someone does not answer their radio, another room will pay the price so, like I said, please be cooperative."

Roger ceased talking and the first group began to exit the gym. Roger kept an eye on Blossom. It was clear that he meant to keep her in the gym. "Make sure the other two girls aren't in the same room," Roger called. "Also, make sure someone calls the police. I don't want them to miss out on the fun." Finally, the room was emptied out, save for Roger, Blossom, and Justin, whom Blossom still had by the wrist.

"Oh Justin," someone said from behind them on the stage. They turned around. They knew it was Priscilla Moore. She was wearing a stunning dress, yellow and shiny. Even Blossom had to admit it was majestic. She took the microphone in her hand and smiled. "Can I be your opening act?"

* * *

Buttercup was in the first group of hostages that was taken from the gym into another room. Buttercup found herself in what appeared to be the classroom of a biology teacher, joined by a bunch of scared high school student that she didn't recognize.

Only one stood out from the crowd. He was the sullen boy with anger in his eyes. Buttercup looked to see that their hostage taker was preoccupied with keeping the room calm. She approached the kid and began talking. "Do you know who I am?"

Desmond nodded. "You're Buttercup of the Powerpuff Girls. Do you know who I am?"

"Of course I don't," she replied.

"Good. My name is Derek. I hope you don't already have a plan, because I was hoping you'd go along with mine." Buttercup was surprised at his reply, but allowed him to elaborate. "I got a good look at all the hostage takers while Roger was talking. There are ten in total. Our guy only answered his radio once every ten minutes, which means Roger is calling them one at a time at one minute intervals."

"I see what you're saying. If I can take out the hostage takers in each room, right after they check in, I'd have a whole minute to do it. The only problem is I don't know the order they're going in, and I don't know what rooms they're in. One minute isn't long enough if I have to check each and every room."

"That's where I come in. If you can make a distraction, I can sneak out the window and find out which other rooms are occupied and what order their being contacted in."

"You'd do that?"

"It has to be me. He'd notice if you were missing. Don't worry about me. I do this type if thing for a living."

Buttercup nodded and proceeded to bother the hostage taker, a relatively weak looking mercenary. "Hey buddy," she said a she shoved him lightly. "How's it going?" The man immediately became agitated and grabbed the first girl he could as a hostage. This act caused the others in the room to scream in fear. The ensuing chaos easily allowed for Desmond to slide or the window unnoticed. Buttercup then backed off, and the man released his hostage.

* * *

Meanwhile, in a geography classroom on the other side of the school, Bubbles was sitting in a desk watching their guard carefully as he held a polite and what appeared to be a jovial conversation with Elliott Meyer. Bubbles texted him to try and get his attention, but he just texted back and said he was in the middle of a budget meeting, apparently unaware that Bubbles was in the same room with him.

She could overhear the conversation. Meyer was talking about the latest episode of some show that she was unfamiliar with and the hostage taker was absolutely certain that some guy named Howard Matlin wasn't really dead.

Bubbles ignored them. Another conversation behind her was grabbing her attention.

"Calm down," Lucas ordered in a whisper.

"I can't calm down," Brooklyn insisted. "Desmond is out there and I don't know if he's okay. You know how he gets. If one of those hostage takers gets too confrontational, Desmond will fight back. He's strong, but he can't take on a bullet."

"Calm down!" Lucas repeated, a little louder this time. "Desmond can take care of himself. He got shot two weeks ago, remember? He can handle himself. We need to get out of here before we get exposed any more than we already are."

"Hi," Bubbles said. The sudden intrusion caused Lucas to jump, but Brooklyn immediately latched on to the superhero, surprising Bubbles. Brooklyn began to cry before begging in whispers. "Please, I need your help. My boyfriend is in one of the other rooms. I need to know if he's okay. I can't stay in this room any longer."

"Okay. Okay," Bubbles said, prying the weeping girl off of her. She glanced back to see that their watcher was still engulfed in his conversation with Elliott Meyer. "Here's what I need you to do. I'm going to help you find your boyfriend, but I'm going to need your help. I need you to go out there and tell me where the mercenaries are holding the other hostages. If you can help me rescue the hostages, I'll make sure your boyfriend gets out okay."

"I'll do anything," Brooklyn immediately replied. She opened the window and began to slide out quietly. Bubbles motioned for Lucas to go with her. Initially frightened at the idea, Lucas sighed and followed Brooklyn out into the courtyard.

* * *

"Do you hear anything?" Gina-Marie asked. She sat on the counter next to the sink in the boy's bathroom while Zachary kept his ear to the door. He hadn't heard anything for about five minutes, but he wasn't going to take any risk by going out and checking. The bathroom didn't have a lock, so they were in a dangerous position.

Zachary had noticed one of the mercenaries with a gun just seconds before Roger Hillenburg entered the gym. Without thinking, Zachary ran and grabbed Gina-Marie and pulled her out of the gym before the mercenaries locked down the exits. He pulled her into the first available room, the boys bathroom, and they waited in silence as everyone else was herded into their respective rooms.

Now they were alone, and Gina-Marie had already gone from shocked to scared to suspicious. "They're gone," she said since Zachary had not given an answer. "That being said, I have a question. Why did you grab me?"

"What?" Zachary asked, confused as to why she would ask such a question. "I grabbed you because I didn't want you to be taken hostage."

"I understand that," she replied. "What I don't understand is why you grabbed me specifically. You didn't grab Lacey. You didn't grab Buttercup. You grabbed me."

Zachary was still confused. "Why is this even an issue? I saved your life. Can't we leave it at that?"

"I'm sitting on the counter in the boy's bathroom. We are definitely not going to leave it at that. I want answers. Why did you accept Lacey's invitation to prom when you were going with me?"

"Because it wasn't a date. With Lacey, it's a date."

"Why not with me?"

"Why not? I don't know."

"Zachary, you grabbed me for a reason."

"No I didn't. I wasn't thinking. It was spontaneous."

"What I wouldn't give for you to be just a little bit more spontaneous."

"What are you talking about?"

Gina-Marie sighed and hopped off the counter. She walked to Zachary with authority, grabbed his cheeks and pulled his face to hers until his lips were touching hers. After a few seconds, Gina-Marie let go and stared as Zachary stared back blankly.

"I'm going to keep listening for bad guys," he finally said.

"Good," she replied. "I'm going to sit back down on the counter, then."

* * *

Tyler Osborn was resting on the door off his squad car as he waited for anyone to report to him any sign of life whatsoever. His attempts to contact the Powerpuff Girls individually went unanswered, and his calls to Keane and Utonium went unanswered as well. Sarah Bellum was standing near him, over by another police car getting increasingly worried as to why Meyer wasn't answering his cell phone.

The police had the high school surrounded; spotters dotted the surrounded building, but none of them were coming up with any useful vantage point in order to get a good look at the mercenaries. Suddenly, without incitement, the double doors of the high school spread open and Roger Hillenburg, with a smile on his face, stepped out.

Osborn drew his gun and pointed it at him. Several other officers quickly followed suit. "Keep your hands where I can see them!" Osborn shouted. "I want you to identify yourself, and then I want you to place your hands behind your heads and turn around."

"I'd be more than happy to introduce myself," he said. "I'm Roger Hillenburg. I'm sure you've heard of me." Osborn shook his head, which seemed to actually bug Hillenburg. Offended, Hillenburg looked around to see if there was anyone else he could talk to. "Mrs. Bellum! I see you got the message."

"Message?"

"The mayor is here, too."

"Good grief," she said. "You have got to be kidding me."

Osborn interrupted. "If you harm the mayor-"

"Chill out," Hillenburg said. "I just came out here to make sure you were on your best behavior. This has nothing to do with the mayor. He and the other hostages will be released as soon as Priscilla has her time with Justin and Blossom. Until then, butt out."

Hillenburg backed up and reentered the school, closing the double doors as he disappeared from Osborn's line of sight.

* * *

Back in the gym, Justin had been pulled out on stage by Priscilla, who had been messing with each pf the instruments, refusing to acknowledge that she had pulled Justin on stage. Her passive-aggressive demeanor was only making Blossom angrier. She was expecting an enraged Priscilla. This Priscilla is just being a bother, and Blossom couldn't do anything about it, not as long as Justin was standing in between them.

"I never liked any of your songs," Priscilla finally told Justin. "I know that I told you that you were the best. I know I said you and your friend were the next Green Day. I lied. You know all about lying, don't you, Justin?"

"Watch it!" Blossom shouted.

"You watch it!" Priscilla barked back. "I still have hundreds of hostages. Move from that spot and I'll have hundreds of victims instead!" Blossom obeyed and Priscilla returned to her conversation with Justin. "Did you write a song for her yet?"

"Priscilla..."

"Answer the stupid question, Justin."

"No."

Priscilla turned to Blossom. "He's lying, isn't he?" Blossom didn't answer. "You don't have to say it. I know he is. You want to know how I know? It's because Justin has a pattern. He meets a girl he wants-and it's always a girl he can't get-and decides he's going to play with her heart until she falls for him. He'll use the same tactic. He'll come up with some excuse to go out with you without it officially being a date. With me, Justin offered to accompany me to a formal dinner my father was hosting. It wasn't a date, per se. Do you see where I'm getting it at, Blueberry?"

"My name is Blossom."

"Like I care," she snarled before continuing her speech. "If that doesn't work, he'll dedicate a song to them. If that doesn't work, he'll say that he loves her. That always works, doesn't it, Justin?"

"You're sick," Justin said. "You need help."

"Help?" she said with a grin as Roger Hillenburg reentered the gym. "Someone here certainly needs help, but it's not me. It's Strawberry over there." Blossom just groaned. Priscilla stepped closer and grabbed Justin's left arm.

"Let go!" Blossom yelled.

"I'm doing you a favor!" Priscilla yelled. "Justin is a player. He plays with girls' hearts because he has nothing better to do. I am indebted to you for showing me what a waste of life this idiot is. I'm just returning the favor." Priscilla extended her hand. Roger Hillenburg approached the stage and handed a knife to Priscilla. Blossom couldn't sit still any more. She bolted, shoved Hillenburg off the stage, knocking him against the wall. Blossom grabbed Priscilla's wrist and tried to push the knife out of her hand, but Blossom was surprised to find Priscilla strong enough to withstand her.

"How? You're not wearing your suit," Blossom said, stalled.

"Wrong," Priscilla said with a derisive tone. With her free hand, Priscilla hiked up her dress and press a button on her thigh. Priscilla's battle suit unfolded out from under her dress. Her dress receded into her suit, leaving her clad in her shining yellow suit. The suit covered her entire body from neck to toe. Her head remained bare with the exception of a glass visor over her eyes.

"You're not stronger than me. You can't stop me from killing him." Priscilla broke free from Blossom's grasp and went in for another slash. Blossom slid under Priscilla's arm, spun around, and kicked Justin in the stomach. Justin flew off the stage, landing unconscious on the ground while Priscilla ended her slash in midair and off balance. Blossom spun back around and grabbed Priscilla.

"Let's take this somewhere more private". Blossom threw Priscilla into the air and she crashed through the skylight. Blossom flew up to see that Priscilla had already begun to fly off by the rockets on her skates. "If you wanted me to chase you down," Blossom said to herself, "all you had to do was ask."

* * *

It was almost too easy for Desmond Callahan. He had began his walk around campus by remaining in the shadows and avoiding the hallways he felt were probably being watched by Roger Hillenburg's men. After a few minutes, he realized that there was no one watching the hallways. The mercenaries figured everyone was in a room, so it was abundantly easy for Desmond to peak inside each room and discover which ones were occupied.

In ten minutes, Desmond had identified seven other occupied rooms. He took one of the north doors that led to the courtyard to cross the campus to the other building. He looked up and saw two shadowy figures talking to each other across the courtyard. He ducked down behind a tree and tried to get a better look at them. He began to step closer, and Desmond was eventually able to recognize them, much to his anger.

"What are you two doing out here?" he yelled. He didn't care if anyone had heard him. Lucas cringed at the loudness of his voice, but Brooklyn immediately ran to embrace him. Desmond just shoved her to the side. "I asked you a question."

"Excuse me?" Lucas shot back. "I'm your leader. You do not get to speak to me that way."

"I can speak to you however I please," Desmond replied. "Xavier is my direct superior now. Your power over me is nonexistent. More importantly, what are you doing with my girlfriend?"

"Nothing!" Brooklyn immediately replied.

"I didn't ask you!" Desmond shouted. Brooklyn whimpered and remained quiet.

"Chill out," Lucas said. "We're trying to figure out which rooms the hostages are in so the Powerpuff Girls can rescue everyone. This works out pretty well. We can duck out of here in the ensuing chaos so we don't get nabbed by the cops."

"Cops?"

"Yeah," Lucas said. "I saw the lights. They're on the north side of the building."

Desmond became more infuriated. "Okay," he said, trying to keep calm. "Brooklyn, I order you to return to the room you were in. Lucas, go to Buttercup and tell her which rooms are occupied. I wrote them down on this notepad. I will talk to the police officers."

"Desmond-"

"Go!"

Lucas and Brooklyn did as ordered. Fuming, Desmond stormed to the front of the building, pushed pen the double doors, and didn't flinch when Osborn and the other officers drew their guns.

"No way," Sarah said. "It's Desmond Callahan. As far the Gangreen Gang is concerned, he's the worst of them. We can't let him get away."

"The Powerpuffs have a plan!" Desmond yelled. "I am working with them. As soon as my associates pass the information onto Buttercup, she and Bubbles will begin rescuing hostages at exactly 10:00. When the clock strikes 10:00, that's your cue to come in and help lead everyone to safety. Do you understand me?"

"You're nothing but a liar, you twisted maniac!" Sarah shouted.

"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that," Desmond replied. "I'm going back inside. You have your orders." Osborn didn't say anything. He holstered his gun and Desmond returned to the building, much to Sarah's surprise.

* * *

Blossom stopped flying as soon as she realized she had lost track of Priscilla. "Come on out," she shouted, landing on a nearby rooftop. "I don't have all night."

"How disrespectful!" Priscilla shouted as she came out from behind another building and flew directly at Blossom. Blossom sidestepped her and grabbed her by the arm. Priscilla's free arm managed to slam down on Blossom's hand, forcing he to let go. "I come all the way back to Townsville to do you a favor and I don't even get a thank you. Not even a hello."

"How about heads up?" Blossom quipped. She threw a punch that Priscilla failed to dodge. She hits the ground hard, and noticed that her glass visor was cracked. She growled, and swept Blossom off of her feet. Blossom, however, levitated to prevent from hitting the ground.

Blossom levitated directly over Priscilla. "I bet you think your fancy technology makes you just as good as me, perhaps even better, but it seems to be that there are some things that are best left to the real deal." Priscilla screamed, and hit Blossom in the stomach as she stood up.

Blossom recoiled, and looked up to see that a laser had manifested itself above Priscilla's wrist. "I bet you don't have one of these," she said as the laser beam shot out. Blossom flew in the sky, easily keeping away from the laser light. "You got to be kidding me," she shouted back. "The scope of your laser only extends in the direction you can bend your arm. I'm faster than you. Allow me to demonstrate." Blossom flew back down and stood behind Priscilla. Before Priscilla could react, Blossom had a hand on the laser and crushed it. Blossom's other hand took Priscilla by and arm and threw her off the building.

Blossom waited. After a few seconds, Priscilla back back on top of the building. "Give up," she insisted. "You battle suit isn't as great as you think it is."

"I won't lose to you!"

"Then bring it on, Princess!"

Priscilla ran at her again, and Blossom extended her palm in front of her. Priscilla didn't react in time, crashed into her. She was immediately winded, and her suit was instantly shattered into two pieces, both of which hung off of her, revealing the mechanics inside. Priscilla couldn't move. She could barely stand. Priscilla stared ruefully at Blossom for a few second before succumbing to the pain and falling unconscious.

* * *

"I'm not talking to you," Keane said, sitting in a tiny desk trying desperately not to look at Reese Baum. "I don't like being in the same room wth you, so don't even bother talking to me."

"Where Kathleen goes, so goes my nation," Utonium replied, somewhat surprising Keane with his solidarity.

"Fine," Reese mumbled. "I as just trying to pass the time. None of us are getting out of here any time soon, and I'm going to get that formula sooner or later, so you might as well get used to it."

"You need to shut that mouth," Keane said, standing up.

"Make me," Reese counted.

"Hey!" the mercenary yelled from the front of the room. "Calm do-"

Everyone looked. The man was on the ground and Buttercup was standing behind him. "Don't just stand there like idiots," she said. "Osborn is waiting around the corner. Follow him and the other officers to safety. Do not stray."

"So the girls are useful," Utonium said as he left the room. "Who would have thought?"

* * *

Roger Hillenburg was still in the gym, waiting patiently for Priscilla to return. He expected the fight to be in Priscilla's favor, and he had expected it to end some time ago. Roger was getting agitated, as if Priscilla might not have won her fight.

"I can't wait any longer," he said. "If Blossom comes back, there's no way I'm getting out of a jail cell." Roger put his radio away and began for the doors to the south, knowing the police were sparse in that area. He opened the double doors only to be momentarily shocked to see Desmond Callahan standing on the other end.

"Kid!" he said with fright. "You scared me. Look, I'm just trying to get out of here, so I didn't see you and you didn't see me. Deal?" Roger tried to slide passed him, but Desmond put his arm in the way. "You're not making this easy on yourself, kid. I'm just trying to get out of here. I'm not above putting a bullet in your head to achieve that goal."

Desmond didn't say anything. Slowly, he moved his face closer to Roger's who began to slink back. Suddenly, Desmond moved his arm and grasped onto Roger's throat. He immediately began to lose air, gasping in a vain attempt to continue air flow. It was useless. His throat was completely blocked, and Desmond began to lift him with one hand. Roger's face turned blue and his lucidity began to drift away. Just as he was about to lose consciousness, Desmond twisted his wrist and broke Roger's neck, killing him.

Desmond dropped the lifeless body as he heard commotion coming from the opposite end of the gym. He made his exit down south just as Tyler Osborn came in from the north to discover Roger Hillenburg's body as well as the still unconscious body of Justin Bradley.

Osborn said as he checked the bodies. "Get the paramedics in here for the kids. Don't bother with Hillenburg. He's done."

* * *

"Do you have any fives?" Zachary asked.

"Go fish," Gina-Marie replied.

"There's no way," Zachary said. "We've gone through the deck. You have to have a five."

"Were you keeping track?"

"Of course," Zachary defended. He sighed. "We've been playing for hours. This would be a lot easier if we actually had a deck to play with."

"Do you want to leave?" she asked. "You heard the commotion about four hours ago. That was probably everyone leaving."

"No way! We can't risk it. We're staying here, but we're not going to keep playing Go Fish without a deck."

"Would you rather I talk about my feelings?"

"Got any tens?"

"Go fish."


	20. The Relationship Ego Trip

Chapter 20: The Relationship Ego Trip

Xavier stood in silence. His subordinates, with Lucas and Desmond fighting silently about who gets to stand in front of whom as a sort of battle of superiority, awaited any kind of order that might explain why they had been standing around Millennium Park doing absolutely nothing for nearly two hours. Xavier simply breathed in slowly. He had no intention of addressing his subordinates any time soon.

Although everyone else seemed to accept the status quo, Tom Seaton had no interest in waiting another two hours for Xavier to speak. Against the tacit disapproval of the Gangreen Gang members, Seaton approached Xavier and spoke. "What are we doing here?"

Xavier took another deep breath before even acknowledging that Seaton had addressed him. "I'm checking the weather."

"We have weathermen for that," Season quipped.

Xavier nodded and smiled. "That is not the type of weather I'm talking about. Mr. Seaton, I don't wish to cloud your mind with things beyond your comprehension. Stick to your part of the plan, and I'll stick to mine. Agreed?"

"You're lucky I'm not in charge," Seaton replied.

"We're all lucky for that," Xavier said. "You may go now." Seaton gave him a scowl and left. Xavier stood silently a little while longer before raising his right hand and, with his index finger, motioned for someone to step forward. Lucas knew the gesture was for him.

"What's up, boss?" he asked.

Xavier did not immediately answer. Instead, he motioned with his left hand for someone else to step forward. This one was for Desmond. Xavier spoke directly to him, who was lighting his cigarette as he spoke. "Take everyone back to the dojo. The weather is not yet volatile enough. Continue to train as usual." Desmond nodded, exhaled smoke in Lucas' face and returned to lead the others back.

"Lucas," Xavier began in a paternal tone. "I'm worried about you. You are one of my best operatives. You have the greatest potential of everyone in this gang."

"Really? Even Desmond?"

"Especially Desmond. He's going to get himself killed soon enough, I'm sure. Yet, I worry about you because you haven't received your tattoo."

Lucas was momentarily flustered. "Well, I was under the impression that the tattoos were optional."

"The tattoo is optional as long as you make the right decision," he said, no longer being fatherly. "You have two days to comply, or you will not be able to participate in the summoning."

* * *

Tyler Osborn was still in his office, as he had been for the last few hours. He was still going over all of the information he had on the Gangreen Gang. Thanks to Christopher Mills and Melanie Reenie, he had plenty to go over. He had files for each of the Gangreen Gang members in Lucas' squad. Osborn was cautious about involving Lucas' parents. It was clear, since Lucas still attended high school, that his parents were unaware of Lucas' private life. If his parents got involved, Lucas would likely leave home, and it would become more difficult to locate him. As it stood, Lucas was at his house every night, and it was comforting to know that he would always know where at least one member of the Gangreen Gang was most of the time, especially after having let Desmond Callahan escape a few days before.

Osborn was relieved that he could finally deposit Priscilla Moore's file in a permanent cabinet for closed cases. It was a load off his mind to know that Priscilla was safely in a temporary holding cell until it could be determined whether she was mentally capable to stand trial or if she should be treated as a patient for what was done to her by Reenie and the Representative.

The only things of Osborn's mind were the Gangreen Gang, the Representative, the higher power, and if there was any connection between them, as Reese Baum had implied. If the Representative was involved, Osborn knew it would get dangerous. Reese was staying at a fancy hotel near downtown. She made sure Osborn had her phone number as well as her room number and the number for the hotel. She was certain that the PST would give in to her demands, and Osborn was beginning to think she was right.

Suddenly, Osborn's attention shifted to something completely unexpected and wholly unwarranted. Osborn looked up when the door to his office swung open. There stood David Wilson with a ticked off look on his face. "Captain Osborn," he growled, but in a way that showed he was still trying to show him some respect. "I just got out of a holding cell. Did you know that?"

"No, I did not," Osborn replied. "I'm sure you came to my office to complain that your arrest came without provocation. Am I right?"

"I was arrested for being too close to Pokey Oaks this morning."

"That sounds about right."

"Excuse me?" he shouted. He was no longer trying to show Osborn respect, a fact which was not lost on the captain. "I thought we had an understanding. I helped in capturing Lumpkins. I thought that meant you would help me out."

"You misunderstand our relationship, Mr. Wilson," he replied. "I agreed to look the other way concerning the fact that you trespassed on Mr. Lumpkins' property in order to get the footage you took. That being said, my first duty is to the law. The restraining order is still in place. I still believe it is for the best."

"Nice," he complied. "Suddenly you and the professor are best friends, and I get thrown under the bus. I'm about to lose my job because I can't report on the Powerpuff Girls!"

"I missed the part where that was my problem, Mr. Wilson. Now get out of my office before I have someone escort you back to the holding cell you came from." Wilson gave him another scowl, and Osborn returned with a piercing gaze. Wilson simply slinked out of the room, leaving Osborn to return to his investigation.

* * *

"Isn't this nice?" Reese said, sprawled out on John Utonium's couch. "This is nice. After all, it's just like the old days when we used to hang out."

"We never used to hang out," Utonium reminded her. "It has been ten years, but I remember the Devon Group quite clearly. I remember that you generally hung out with Ryan, and for obvious reasons, I never did."

"I hope you didn't get the impression that I liked Ryan any more than as an associate," Reese suddenly said, springing up from her lazy position on the couch. "I didn't. Ryan and I were just coworkers."

"Why do you care what I think?" Utonium replied. "Don't tell you're here in Townsville on behalf of Ryan. Last I checked, you were both equal members of the Four. Don't tell me you're taking orders from him now."

"Don't be so ridiculous," she said, just realizing that Utonium had reentered the room with the beer he had promised. She extended her had and Utonium obliged. She continued, "I don't work for Ryan. I am here on my own volition. We're both still members of the Four and Mr. Devon, obviously, is still in charge. I'm sure you've already figured that Jim took your spot."

"I try not to think of it," he replied. "I did a lot of good work with the Devon Group. I can only imagine how Jim is ruining that legacy. Does he have a good scientist, at least?"

"He had one," she replied before taking a big gulp from the beer. "Some poor chap named Ronald, I think. He's been missing for a couple days. I think he's dead. Jim seems to think so, too, so I guess he'll be looking for a new one soon. I have a new scientist too, by the way. Her name is Fiona. She's a sweet girl. She's smart, but also kind of awkward."

"Let me guess," Utonium interrupted. "Ryan doesn't have a scientist."

"Not for ten years now," she replied. "He's still bitter about what happened."

"Send him my condolences," he replied sarcastically.

Reese took another swig from the bottle and glanced at her watch. She became wide-eyed and hopped up from the couch. "Crap. I have to go. I just remembered that I have to be across town soon. I have a gift to pick up. This has been fun, though. We must do it again."

Utonium didn't have an opportunity to reply. Reese was already out the door and down the street in seconds.

* * *

At the Corner Shop, the Powerpuff Girls flew in through the door together after completing their patrol for the day. The sun was coming down and they were due for a break. Buttercup would pick up patrol once night fell, giving her sisters the night off to sleep.

They walked in and, as promised, sat down across from Gina-Marie and Zachary, who already had their sandwiches half-eaten. Zachary was whispering something in Gina-Marie's ear and Gina-Marie had a smile on her face as the girls sat down. "Hey," Bubbles spoke up in order to grab their attention.

Zachary coughed and turned away from her. Gina-Marie looked down until she could successfully withhold her smile. She looked up with a more unreadable expression. "How's Justin?" Blossom asked.

"He's doing better," Zachary replied. "He doesn't ask about you anymore. He knows why you haven't been by to visit him in the hospital. He wants to make it up to you, but I'm sure that doesn't come as too much of a surprise. Are you going to see him?"

"No," Blossom replied. "I'll wait until they let him out of the hospital."

"That's going to be a while," Gina-Marie explained. "You really did a number on his ribs. The doctor says he'll be out in time to graduate at the end of May, but he's still got a few weeks to go. I think you at least ought to visit him."

"What?" Buttercup said. "Not that I don't agree, but you are the last person I would have expected to encourage Blossom to see Justin. I thought you didn't like their relationship. I thought you didn't like relationships at all."

"Well I've had a change of heart," she said. She suddenly looked down to hide her emerging smile, and Zachary coughed again. She looked up and continued. "Anyway, this conversation is not about me. It's about Justin and Blossom. I think Blossom should see Justin in the hospital."

"I agree with Gina-Marie," Zachary said. she shot him a quick look that was not lost on the girls.

"Uhh," Bubbles began. "I think Blossom should decide for herself."

"I agree with Bubbles," Blossom said. "What is it with everyone and their constant need to dictate how I live my life? I will wait until Justin gets out of the hospital."

"And then what?" Buttercup asked. "If you don't mind me playing devil's advocate for second, what are you going to do when Justin comes to see you in a few weeks? Will you make him answer for everything Priscilla accused him of, or are you going to fly into his arms like a hopeless romantic?"

"Hopeless romantic," Blossom said, much to the surprise of everyone at the table. "What? I think it's about time I was honest with myself. I'm not entirely comfortable with his past, but I love Justin Bradley, and that's not going to change. I just want him to sweat it out for a couple of weeks. Plus, it'll give me the opportunity to focus on wrapping up some loose ends. Osborn says he might need our help with something that might go down at Millennium Park. He's really keeping it on the down low. Anyway, with that out of the way, most of the major criminals in Townsville will be in custody. I think this relationship thing will work out just fine."

"It's certainly not the decision I was expecting," Buttercup replied, "but it's a decision, which is a step in the right direction at least. Also, I think it needs to be said that it's obvious that Zachary and Gina-Marie are dating, so they should stop trying to hide it. It's really kind of stupid."

"I have to agree," Bubbles said. "I'm happy for you two, so I don't know why you're trying to hide it."

Gina-Marie, with a smile on her face she wasn't hiding, was shocked silent for a few seconds. Finally she replied. "Well, it's just that I've had a string of bad relationships before. I don't like getting overexcited about a new relationship. They've always ended poorly, so I try not to get too hopeful about them."

"You're not offended by that?" Bubbles asked Zachary.

"Nope," he said confidently. "I understand where she's coming from. I've recently had a string of no relationships, so I feel like it would be bad mojo to fuel my ego. Gina-Marie and I are on the same page. We're taking it one day at a time."

"That's so cute!" Bubbles exploded.

"And it directly contradicts Bubbles' situation," Buttercup said. "She's taking it no steps at a time."

"What are you talking about?" she asked.

"Like it's not obvious," she replied. "How many times have you left the blond thief escape? You obviously have a crush on him."

"I do not!" she defended, "I am a Powerpuff Girl! I don't have feelings for criminals!"

"Whatever you say," she said, standing up. "It's getting dark. I'm heading off for patrol. See you guys later. Buttercup sped out of the room, taking herself out of the conversation about relationships, a topic she was more than happy to run from.

* * *

It was just past midnight, and Kathleen Keane was just entering her tenth hour at the Townsville Public Library. Townsville had an extensive library system, with the main building stretching up six floors, as well as a basement level for government archives. Keane had methodically spent all day reading every book she could find that she felt might shed some light on the demon, the Druid sect, and the Book of Bakamin.

She had found nothing substantial. In ten hours, Keane had only managed to find references to the sect and the Book of Bakamin is a couple obscure history texts of the period, and most of them took a skeptical eye toward the them, generally believing that the sect never really existed and that they were nothing more than propaganda created by the church to malign the pagan religions that persisted in rural areas.

She managed to find a few primary texts from the period that mentioned them, but none of them made mention of a demon, and few even recognized the existence of a book. Most of the primary sources reported the Druid language, but Keane was already familiar with that. In ten hours, Keane had found nothing she didn't already know.

"This is useless," she said to herself as she re-shelved the last book she had been reading. It was another history text, this one simply a general history of Europe in the Middle Ages that didn't even mention Druidism at all. "There's nothing here. This library doesn't have what I need."

"And what is it, exactly, that you need?" Reese Baum asked as she poked her head from behind the next aisle. Keane just groaned and knocked her forehead on the shelf. "Wait," Reese continued. "Don't tell me. Let me read your mind." Reese began chanting some pointless gibberish, and Keane groaned again. Obviously, Reese thought she was being very funny.

"Would you stop?" Keane finally asked.

"Patience is a virtue," she replied.

"So is obedience. Get lost."

"You don't really mean that," Reese replied. "Especially since I brought you a present." Reese revealed what she had hidden behind her back. It was a book, ancient and dusty, with a brown cover and a broken red seal. It was certainly from the period, and Keane became wide-eyed as she looked at the symbols on the cover.

"It's their language," she said.

"Duh," Reese replied. "I wouldn't have come all this way to bring you a book about the demon worshipers. I brought you their Bible. The Anacoluthon Codex itself. Who's the best?"

"You're the best," Keane said uncaringly, snatching the book from her hands before she could even react. Keane took the book to the table and immediately began flipping through the pages, trying to find something of use.

Reese walked over and hovered over Keane's shoulder which, after about a minute, really began to bother her. "Reese," she began. "Can you read this?"

"Hell no," she said. "That's why I brought it to you. After all, if the codex reads how I think it reads, you'll be begging for my help in stopping it."

"Then go away," she demanded. "Actually, do me a favor. Call the mayor and tell him to convene a PST meeting in two days. I'll have a report for him."

"There you go again," Reese quipped. "Ordering me around even though I outrank you. You were never one of the Four, and yet you always thought you could do anything. I guess you figured Ryan would never oppose you and Ken-I'm sorry. He goes by John now-would always protect you."

"You couldn't be more wrong, Reese," Keane replied calmly. Reese nodded quietly and left the room, leaving Kathleen Keane in solitude for her night of translation.

* * *

Two days passed. Things were still quiet in Townsville. Osborn was still mobilizing for anything in Millennium Park, but he still wasn't sure what to prepare for and he still wasn't ready to accept to possibility of the supernatural.

As he walked down the hallway in the police station, a certain person walking down the other hallway suddenly caught his eye. Osborn immediately turned and followed him into the weapon depository. Osborn grabbed him by the shoulder and made him turn around. "Sergeant, what are you doing here?"

"My duty," Zane Gedge replied. "Tom Seaton escaped on my watch. He was rescued by the Representative. Now I hear that the Representative might have something to do with what the Gangreen Gang in planning in Millennium Park. That's what he needed Seaton for. If this goes down, it'll be my fault. I can't sit back and let that happen. I have to do something."

"Hold on for a second," Osborn ordered. Gedge took a deep breath and stood at attention. "I don't know where you heard all of that, but it doesn't matter. You are not a part of this operation. First of all, you haven't been released from the hospital yet. That car accident put you out of commission for weeks, if not months. It almost killed you."

"And I'll make Seaton regret not finishing the job. I promised I would make sure he saw the inside of a jail cell again. I'm not walking back from that."

"Captain," someone called from the door of the weapon depository. It the girl from the front desk with a phone in hand. "It's the mayor. He says it's urgent."

Osborn nodded and the girl handed the phone to the captain. "Osborn," Meyer shouted. "Get the girls on the line. Tom Seaton is at a strip club called OZ right now. It's downtown, just off the interstate on Selmon Ave. This could be our chance. If we get him, we won't have to deal with Reese's ultimatum."

"I'm on it-wait, why didn't you just call them?"

"I'm not in my office at the moment."

"Then where are-don't tell me you're at the strip club."

"What I do on my days off is none of your business, captain!"

"Fine. Whatever. I'll call them. Just relax and don't call attention to yourself." Osborn hung up, and looked to see that Gedge had overheard the entire conversation. "Don't even think about it sergeant. You're staying right here." Gedge didn't reply as Osborn took out his own cell phone and called Blossom's number.

"Captain?" she answered.

"I hope you're not busy. Tom Seaton has been spotted downtown, at a strip club named OZ on Selmon Ave. near the interstate. Get down there now before he disappears. Try not to make a scene. Run in, grab him, and get out. Understand?"

"I'm on it, captain!"

Osborn hung up and looked at Gedge, who was still itching to move. "Don't even think about it, Sergeant."

* * *

Blossom, meanwhile, immediately convened her sisters and took flight. They followed the interstate until arriving at the location roughly five minutes later. She landed in front of the building, bright by means of the purple neon lights that surround it, and walked in through the front door. The doorman moved to stop them, but froze upon recognizing them.

Blossom led her sisters as they pushed through a curtain into the main room. "Oh," Bubbles said loudly. "That's what a strip club is,."

"You didn't know?" Buttercup asked. "I've known that for moths now."

"Well, it's not exactly common knowledge,"

"Actually, it is."

"Guys," Blossom interrupted. "Now's not the time. We don't want Seaton to escape this time!"

"No you wouldn't," Seaton said as he stood from his chair and approached the girls, though still keeping a fair distance away from them. "I'm glad you finally came. I was worried you wouldn't show up. Aren't you a little underage to be in here, actually? Technically, you're not even a year old yet."

"How do you know that?" Blossom shouted. By this point, most of the people inside had already fled to their cars.

"You learn a lot while working for the Representative."

"The Representative?" Buttercup added. "Who's that?"

"Wow," Seaton replied. "And all this time I thought you girls were the heroes, but it seems you're nothing more than just the hired hand of the PST."

"PST?" Bubbles added.

"You've got to be kidding me," Seaton continued. "They don't even tell you that much? The PST. It stands for Powerpuff Support Team. The professor, your teacher, the mayor, Mrs. Bellum, and Captain Osborn. They all get together every now and then and decide how to use you girls to fight crime. Of course, they never take you into consideration. They see a job and send you off to deal with it."

"You need to shut your mouth!" Blossom explained. "They're our friends. They wouldn't just use us as tools like that. They wouldn't meet behind out backs like that and decide how to use us like they own us or something!"

"Let me give you an example then," he offered. "One of the aforementioned members called you to come and capture me. Did you ever think to ask why?"

"You're a criminal. You escaped jail. What more do I need to know?"

"But why was I in jail in the first place?"

"Why are we even talking about this?" Buttercup intruded. "We took you down once. We'll do it again."

"I want to hear him out," Bubbles contradicted.

Blossom took a second to pick her side. "I agree with Bubbles."

"Good," Seaton said. "As I was saying, I work for a man named Malcolm Jules. He and I have been monetarily assisting the Gangreen Gang in their operations. Do you know who they are?"

They all shook their heads. "Wow. You girls have been around for around four months and you don't know anything about what's really going on around you. You may have taken down a cheerleader with a knack for robotics, but something much bigger has been rising, and the PST has been keeping it from you. The Gangreen Gang has been, for the last couple of weeks, preparing to summon a demon in Millennium Park. The PST has known about this for a few weeks know. Funny how they kept something so important a secret."

"How can you expect us to believe that?" Blossom shot back. "A demon? We might have been born four months ago, but we weren't born yesterday. How would they summon a demon anyway?"

"With the Book of Bakamin. I'm told the symbols within hold great power. Along with the power of demon summoning, it also has the power to endow its wearer with strength and speed. Allow me to demonstrate." Seaton clapped his hands twice. Three people wearing green hoodies came out of their hiding spots and stood in between the girls and Seaton. The girls flew down and stood directly in front of them. They lowered their hoods. Blossom and Bubbles didn't recognize them, but Buttercup recognized the one in front of her. "Derek? What the hell are you doing here?"

Desmond smirked and knocked Buttercup in the jaw, sending her flying against the wall. The gang members against Blossom and Bubbles did the same, and all three girls were against the wall.

"I can see that you're busy," Seaton called. "I'll be on my way now, but don't forget what I taught you." Seaton ducked out of the building, and now more gang members came out of the woodwork, totaling about sixty.

"I'll take the one in green," Buttercup quipped as she flew and in and started knocking gang members back as they came up to her. Her sisters joined in and they, together, managed to gain an upper hand, but the tables quickly turned when Desmond himself joined the fray. Desmond growled as he leaped and grabbed Bubbles by the hair. He flung her into the roof and grabbed Blossom's arm as she moved in for a punch. He spun her around and threw her against Buttercup.

Desmond gave a blood-curdling groan before rushing Blossom. She flew up to avoid his grasp, but Desmond simply jumped and grabbed Blossom's heel. He pulled her back down, but was caught unaware when Buttercup came from behind and shoved his face into the nearby banister. He let go of Blossom, but showed no sign of slowing down.

"Seaton may be on to something," Buttercup said. "There's no way a normal human would still be walking, let alone fighting."

"Retreat?" Bubbles suggested weakly.

"We have no choice," Blossom opined. "Besides, if Seaton is telling the truth, we have a meeting to crash." With that, the girls fled the building, leaving Desmond with no way to feed his bloodlust.

* * *

"We're all here," Sarah said, a little surprised. "This is good. PST meetings have been getting better with attendance. I like this. Let's keep it up."

"I'm just here to see how the story unfolds," Utonium assured everyone. "I don't give a damn about this demon nonsense."

"You're going to have to," Keane assured him. "From what I found in the Anacoluthon Codex, we're in for a rough ride. The codex goes into detail about how the ritual is performed. The leader, who in this case is Xavier, stands in the center, reading from the Book of Bakamin. Six other members stand around him at a distance. They chant as well."

"Certainly doesn't sound like anything were should be too concerned about," Meyer said.

"She's not done," Reese correctly pointed out. "Get to the good part, Kathleen."

Reluctantly, she nodded and continued. "The six members standing around Xavier, while chanting their part of the ritual, will ritually sacrifice a human victim as a blood offering to the demon."

"Demon or no," Osborn replied. "Ritualistic sacrifices are, at least, something physical. I can deal with that."

"But what about the demon?" Sarah asked.

"Were not taking that into consideration," Utonium fielded the answer.

"We have to," Keane spoke up. "It's been done before." She turned the codex around so everyone else could see the picture. "Below is a description of the event. The druids released a set of lesser demons as a test on a small German village. It was decimated within days. I cross-checked the official records. It says the village was simply wiped out by the plague, but there are some inconsistencies. The plague doesn't reach this area for another hundred years or so. I think the demon theory has some weight."

"We'll get answers from Seaton," Osborn said. "As we speak, the Powerpuff Girls are taking him into custody. Demon or no, we're not making a deal with Reese Baum."

"I'm sitting right here," she complained, "You don't have to say my name like that."

Just them, the three girls came crashing through Meyer's window, surprising everyone. The landed in the center of the room and everyone looked at them. "Oh come on!" Meyer shouted. "I just had the window repaired like yesterday. Seriously!"

The girls ignored him. Blossom spoke first. "Who is the Representative?"

"Where did you hear that name?" Sarah asked.

"Answer her question, please," Bubbles insisted.

"Did you capture Seaton?" Osborn asked.

"Answer the question!" Buttercup mirrored, a little pissed off.

"Answer mine first!" Osborn insisted.

"Fine," Blossom conceded. "No. Seaton got away. He was being protected by members of some gang called Gangreen. They have tattoos that give them super strength and speed. We had to retreat. Now answer my question. Who is the Representative? What is the Gangreen Gang? What is going to happen at Millennium Park?"

"A demon summoning," Kathleen Keane said from the desk. "The Gangreen Gang has been planning a summoning for some time. I just now managed to prove that this is no bluff. It's going to happen and it's going to happen soon."

"Why haven't we been told any of this?' Bubbles asked.

"I'm sorry girls," Sarah answered. "I really thought it was for the best if you knew as little as possible. You were reckless at the beginning. We thought it would be best if you remained our arm in our fight to save Townsville."

"So you used us," Blossom reasoned.

"No!" Sarah defended.

"Yes," Utonium contradicted. They all looked at him. "Let's be honest. Whether you admit it or not, we have been using the girls as tools to fight crime. I, for one, have no regrets, and I know Tyler feels the same. Girls, I know you're pissed. You have every right to be. I've lied to you. We've all lied to you. If you want, we can all sit down and have a hot chocolate and talk about it. On the other hand, we can put our personal disputes aside for the time being and stop the Gangreen Gang. Can we do that? Can we put the fate of Townsville ahead of our personal problems for one week?

"We can do that," Blossom said. Bubbles nodded in total approval, but Buttercup just grunted in a reluctant approval, "but we want to be caught up on everything that's happened. No more secrets."

"Allow me to interject," Reese said, standing up, "All this is very fascinating, but I only heard one part of that. They failed to capture Tom Seaton. Once again, I am your only hope. I know how to prevent the summoning. I know who the higher power is and where he's hiding. All of this can be yours for one easy payment of a vial of Chemical X."

"Shut up, Reese," Keane said.

"Fine," she said, "but if this demon thing does go down, I intend to be as far away from Townsville as possible. That being said, I'll be leaving in 48 hours. You have until then to give in. Afterward, good luck." Reese waved and left the room.

"What do we do?" Meyer asked.

"The only thing we can do," Utonium replied despondently. "Surrender."


	21. The Preparation Frustration

Chapter 21: The Preparation Frustration

It was becoming a regular thing, and Desmond was getting fully tired of it. Xavier brought the entire gang to Millennium Park at 3:00 in the morning and simply stood in the middle of the field for hours without a single word. Xavier hadn't said a word for hours. A few of the gang members had already left secretly. Desmond saw them. He didn't care. He was actually jealous of them. Their anonymity allowed them to sneak off without being noticed. He didn't have that luxury.

Desmond turned to his left to see Lucas sitting by himself on a bench. He didn't bother with him. Desmond turned to his right to see Brooklyn coming toward him with a sullen look on her face. Desmond cringed. More and more, Brooklyn was being a bother to him as the days went on, and her constant apologies weren't making it any better. "Desmond," she began with tears welling up in her eyes. "I just want to say I'm sorry."

Desmond growled. "I know! Would you stop saying that? I'm tired of hearing your whiny voice. If I want you to talk, I'll ask." Brooklyn nodded and hurriedly backed away, unable to keep the tears from flowing. Desmond wasn't sure why he was so infuriated with Brooklyn. He got mad when he saw her with Lucas at prom, and they hadn't really spoken since then. Still, he knew there was no reason for him to be so angry. He glanced at his tattoo and them back at Xavier. Shaking his head, he whispered to himself, "No. The tattoo does not control me. I control it." Desmond kept shaking his head and he lit another cigarette.

Suddenly, everyone looked up. Xavier had turned around and was returning to the group. "It's ready."

"Ready?" Desmond asked.

"The weather is suitable for the summoning. Take the operatives back to the base and have them prepare for the ritual. It's going down tonight."

"Finally," he replied.

Desmond rallied the troops and they were off back to the dojo, all except Lucas Neuwirth, who approached Xavier. "Lucas," Xavier started as he saw him approached. "I didn't even noticed you were here. I hope you have made a decision about the tattoo. There is only a window of a few hours now."

"I have made my decision," Lucas said.

"Good," Xavier said with a smile.

* * *

Justin Bradley was awake in his hospital bed. He wasn't getting much sleep. The broken rib was still healing, and it didn't allow him to sleep on his side. Justin had no choice but to sleep on his back, and the unsupportable firmness of the bed did not make it such an easy endeavor.

Justin picked up the control remote and flipped through the channels. It was still early in the morning. There was nothing on but infomercials and news programs. Justin sighed and tossed the remote back on the table.

"Figured you'd be awake," Gina-Marie said as she came in.

"It's you," he said.

"Were you expecting someone else?" she asked. "A redhead perhaps?"

Justin sighed and sat up. "No," he said. "I know she's not coming. I'll be out of here in a few weeks and I'll be able to talk to her. I know I shouldn't be asking, but has she said anything about me? Has she said anything about Priscilla?"

"Zachary and I just spoke to her the other day," Gina-Marie replied. "That's actually what I can here to talk to you about. Before I tell you anything, though, I need to know how you feel. I don't want to hear any more of your double talk or your manipulations. I want to hear the plain truth."

Justin cracked a smile. "You don't trust me?"

"Not even a little."

His smile subsided before he continued. "I love her. When I get out of here, I'm going to tell her. End of story."

"End of story is right," she explained. "Spoiler alert: She loves you, too. You know what that means right?"

Justin nodded. "I'm staying in Townsville. You and Zachary will go to Los Angeles without me."

"It looks like everything is working out for the best," Gina-Marie explained. "Graduation is in a little under a month. Let's try to keep things normal until then, okay?" Justin nodded. "I have to go for now. I promise Zachary and I will come visit later tonight. See ya."

* * *

Buttercup stood on the very top of the radio tower in total silence. She breathed heavily, trying to catch her breath from the miles she just flew. She tried to calm her heart rate, but she couldn't afford to lower her guard. She was still out there, and any sign of fatigue would give the battle to her in a heartbeat.

Buttercup focused her ears and listened for her. She stood perfectly still in total silence until the faint buzzing could be heard coming from the west. As it approached, Buttercup shot up in the air, just narrowly missing being caught by Bubbles as she zoomed passed.

"Come on!" Buttercup taunted. "You got beat up by some kids in green and now you catch even touch me."

Bubbles regained her composure and levitated up to the same level as her sister. "Might I remind you that you lost to the same group of kids, too. That's the reason we're practicing, after all. We can't let them beat us again."

"Well show me some skills, then," Buttercup demanded. "You're not going to beat the Gangreen Gang using the same old moves. That Derek kid-or Desmond or whatever his name is-will bury you."

"I'll show you skills!" Bubbles shot up in super speed, once again disappearing in the clouds. Buttercup cautiously followed her into the clouds, trying to keep a keep eye on where she had gone. It was easier to track her in the clouds. Her speed left a trail through them that allowed Buttercup to see where she had gone and where she was coming from. Buttercup slipped just out of Bubbles' grasp for a second time, this time managing to grasp onto Bubbles' arm before she disappeared again.

Bubbles wasn't given any time to react. Buttercup spun her around and grabbed her other arm. She moved over her and brought her back down to Earth, slamming her down on the rooftop of a nearby skyscraper. Bubbles recovered from her momentary distortion and kicked Buttercup off of her.

"Hand-to-hand," Bubbles suggested.

"If you want to lose so badly," Buttercup mocked in response.

Bubbles made the first strike, a mid-level punch that Buttercup dodged. She slid to her right and elbowed Bubbles in the rib. She recoiled, but regained herself in time to dodge the ensuing kicks. Bubbles continued to step back until reaching the edge of the building. She lurched forward, grabbed Buttercup by the shoulders, and flipped over her sister. She stood behind her and managed to grab her around the waist before Buttercup could respond. She flipped Buttercup and slammed her on the rooftop just as her sister did before. She held her down with her right arm and launched another punch with her left. She stopped just shy of her face.

"I win," she said, letting her go and helping her up.

"Rematch," Buttercup insisted.

"If you want to lose so badly," Bubbles mocked.

* * *

Back at the Utonium house, The professor was down in the basement alongside Reese Baum, doing the very thing he swore he wouldn't do the day she came to Townsville. Remorsefully, Utonium finished filling the vial of Chemical X from the small amount he still had left over. The liquid was a dark green with a notable amount of coagulation occurring as Utonium slowly twirled the vial. He looked at it to ensure the sample was adequate. He knew Reese would not settle for anything less.

"Don't think of this as a failure," Reese said as she took the vial from Utonium's hand. She took note on how unwilling he was to let it go. "Instead, think of this as an opportunity. For one, you've just save Townsville from complete destruction. That's something to be proud of."

"But giving you the vial puts the entire world in peril," Utonium replied.

"That's a possibility," she assented, "but that might not be the case at all. The Devon Group is known for walking the line between good and evil, moral and immoral. This vial could very well be the beginning of something amazing."

"Or cataclysmic," Utonium shot back. "I know which one my money is on."

"There's no reasoning with you," Reese finally said. "I'm going to make sure what you've given me it legitimate. Have Meyer organize a PST meeting for this afternoon. Not tonight. This afternoon. I'll have what you need then."

"Why can't he call it at night?"

"You silly goose," Reese said with a smile. "You can't have the PST meeting tonight because that's when the summoning is."

* * *

Midday at Pokey Oaks kindergarten, even the kindergartners could tell that Kathleen Keane was not focused on teaching. Keane never let anything get to her. She was still on the top of her game after the rabid dog attack, and she never let Melanie Reenie interfere with her day job. That summoning was beginning to take a toll on her, and that fact that Blossom still wanted answers didn't make it any better.

The kids were at lunch. Kathleen Keane was outside. She though she was alone, at least for a few seconds, so she sat on the floor against the wall and pulled out a cigarette. Just as she was about to light it, she could see Blossom standing to her right all of a sudden.

"Miss Keane," she began. "You smoke?"

Keane looked at the cigarette in her right hand as if she had never seen it before. "No," she finally said as she threw it into the street. "Of course not. It's a bad habit. What is it Blossom?"

"How long have you guys known about the Gangreen Gang?"

Keane sighed. This was the fifth time Blossom had asked it that very day. She couldn't blame her. Blossom was still a kid at heart, and kids were inquisitive even when they already knew the answer. "A few weeks," Keane replied. "About two months probably. Blossom, you know that. I've already told you that. Could you just leave me alone for a few minutes today?"

"But Miss Keane-"

"Please Blossom!" she shouted. "I'm really stressed out right now. The Gangreen Gang is going to summon a demon soon. The only way we can stop it is to give in to the demands of a megalomaniac bitch and to top it all off, I have to deal with you and your constant questions. I know I'm not being a good teacher right now. I'm sorry, but I have to have a few minutes to myself. Please Blossom."

"Fine," she said. "Have all the minutes you want."

"Blossom-"

She didn't hear it. Blossom was already long gone.

* * *

Across town, David Wilson was in his apartment watching television. He couldn't do anything else. He had no reason to be at the station. He couldn't gather a report with the restraining order still in place. He was in a precarious situation and since there was nothing he could do about it, he had decided to give up trying all together. Wilson hadn't bathed or shaved in roughly three days, and his lack of care around the apartment was beginning to show. He didn't even care to cook. His last few meals had been frozen or delivered.

Wilson was just about ready to doze off on the couch watching a rerun of a show he had seen seven times already when a knock came at the door. It was a pounding knock, the kind that automatically give it away that the person at the door is a police officer.

"No way," Wilson said. "I haven't left my apartment in two days. There is no way I could have broken the restraining order unless the girls decided to move in next door. There's no way."

Sure enough, there came another police-style knock, this one accompanied by a voice. "Mr. Wilson, open up. I need to speak with you. I know you're there. Your car is in the parking lot. Open the door."

Wilson didn't recognize the voice, but he knew he sounded like a cop. "Come on!" Wilson shouted back. "I haven't done anything wrong. Just go away!"

"I'm not here to arrest you," he shouted back. "Please open up. I have something important to discuss with you. It's about you restraining order."

"What about it?"

"Open the door and I'll tell you."

Intrigued, Wilson leaped up off the couch and hurriedly unlocked the door. Standing there in full police uniform, Zane Gedge introduced himself. "Hello, Mr. Wilson. In case you don't know me, I'm Sergeant Gedge. I'm going to get your restraining order revoked."

"How are you going to do that? Captain Osborn seemed pretty insistent that it wasn't going anywhere."

"Let me worry about Captain Osborn," he explain. "You just worry about what I'm going to ask of you."

"What are you going to ask of me?"

"You know that party the Gangreen Gang has planned at Millennium Park?" Gedge asked. Wilson nodded. Gedge continued. "We're going to crash it."

* * *

Justin was finally getting used the the hospital bed. The cable went out on the floor he was on, giving him absolutely nothing to do but to get used to the bed, since sleeping was the only way to pass the time. He was awoken by a light knock at his door. He leaned over to see the nurse there. "I'm sorry to wake you," she said, "but you have a visitor. Would you like me to tell him to come back later?"

"No it's okay," Justin said. "It' just Zachary. "He had to take the bus down here I assume, so I'd be kind of a jerk not to let him in. It's all right."

The nurse nodded and left the room. Justin accommodated himself back the way he was and closed his eyes for the minute or two of silence. He heard another knock on the door. "Hey Zachary."

"Funny," the person at the door said. "Most people call me Lucas."

Justin started up. She looked to his right to confirm it. Lucas Neuwirth, with two other Gangreen members, were standing at his hospital room door. "What are you doing here?" Justin demanded. "This hospital doesn't allow felons, Lucas."

"That hurts," he replied sarcastically. "I come all this way to visit an injured friend at the hospital and this is the welcome I get."

"Nurse! Get these clowns out of here!"

"She won't be responding to you calls, Justin."

"Why not! What did you do to her?

"Relax," he said with a grin. "I didn't kill her if that's what you're asking. She's just out of the way for the time being. Well, she and the rest of the staff on this floor."

"I'm not afraid of you," he said as he shoved the blanket off of him and slid off the bed. His rib jerked him as he landed on the ground, but he kept his pain hidden from Lucas. "Even with a broken rib, I can still take you and your friends. Come on."

Lucas glanced at his companions and shrugged. "If you insist." The two others walked over to Justin. Justin brought up his fists and stood defensively. The first one came on his right and Justin immediately swung at his face, connecting just below the eye. Angered, he came back and swung at Justin. Taking the pain from the rib, Justin stepped back and kicked him in the stomach and connected another first to his face.

The other one came from behind and grabbed him around the waist, applying pressure the the broken rib and causing Justin to scream in pain. Justin managed to take his leg and sweep his backwards, causing him to let go and topple backwards, hitting his head on the sick and knocking him unconscious.

"This has been embarrassing," Lucas said. "No wonder you guys aren't participating in the ritual tonight. You haven't the strength for it anyway."

"What are you talking about?" Justin said.

"My new enhancement," Lucas boasted as he removed his jacket. His T-shirt sleeves were rolled up, and Justin could plainly see the fresh tattoo on Lucas' upper right arm. "Like it? It's going to help me kick your ass."

"You should have gone to school more often," Justin taunted. "Maybe you wouldn't say such stupid things." Justin came at Lucas and sought to connect his punch with his face, but Lucas easily caught his fist and twisted his arm until Justin was on the ground and in pain. Lucas growled and kicked Justin in the rib. Justin lost his strength and immediately recoiled in pain, holding his sides as the pain swelled.

"You're not that strong," Justin said.

"Of course I am," he said. "Now who's saying stupid things?" Lucas growled again and elbowed him in the face, causing him to fall unconscious.

* * *

"Tonight?" Meyer asked.

"That's what I said," Utonium replied. "Well, that's what she said, and now that she has the vial, we have no reason to doubt her."

"Where is she now?' Sarah asked, looking over some notes she had made for herself regarding Reese Baum and the imminent summoning. "If I'm not mistaken, she promised she would give up two things in exchange for the vial of Chemical X: the identity of the higher power and a way to stop the summoning at Millennium Park. It's been several hours since she's received her end of the bargain an we have neither part of our end."

"Relax," Utonium insisted. "Reese will deliver. She may be evil, but I've always known her to be honest."

"I think Sarah has every right to question her motives," Kathleen Keane interjected. "Everything that is going down tonight relies entirely on Reese Baum. I don't like operating that way."

"You don't have to be here," Utonium shot back. "The Chemical X concerns me. The summoning concerns Osborn. You don't have any part in this. If all you're going to do is complain, you can go home."

"You wouldn't have know as much about the summoning as you do know if it weren't for me," she shot back. "How dare you tell me to go home."

"The professor has a point," Meyer defended, much to everyone's surprise. "I don't agree with the way he said it, but he's right. Kathleen, we are all very thankful for all your help in deciphering the Anacoluthon Codex, but now were are that the point where we must depend on Reese Baum or it all fall to pieces. If you are unwilling to accept that, then it might be best if you stayed out of it, at least until the summoning has been stopped."

"We can't put all our trust in Reese Baum."

"You have no choice," Reese said as she came into the room. "We're missing a few. Where are the girls and Captain Osborn?"

"Millennium Park," Sarah explained. "If what you say is true, then Osborn and the girls need to be at the park now in preparation for the gang's arrival."

"That's good to hear," she replied. "You what else is good to here? I've tested the vial of Chemical X and found it to be acceptable for my purposes. You have fulfilled your end of the deal, so I suppose I ought to fulfill mine." Reese took out a folded piece of paper and handed it to Sarah.

"What's this?"

"Ingredients and instructions for the potion you need to make."

"Potion?"

"That's what I said. Don't worry. All the stuff is here in my bag. All you have to do is put it together, just like a recipe."

"What about the other part of our deal?" Utonium insisted. "The higher power?"

"Of course. How could I forget? You must excuse me, but this part of the deal come with a caveat."

"What caveat?"

"John Utonium comes alone."

"No deal," Keane replied.

"Then no higher power," Reese explained. "That's the only deal. Take it or leave it."

"I'll take it," Utonium replied. "Kathleen, go home." Kathleen, breathing heavily from her pent-up anger, stormed out of the office.

"All things considered, this is all going rather well," Reese said with a smile. "Wouldn't you agree?"

* * *

As the sun set on Townsville, Tyler Osborn and around fifty officers from several different precincts around town were finishing up their final preparations at Millennium Park. Osborn had no doubt that Reese Baum's information was valid. Having been a police officer for over twenty years, Osborn could sense when a major event was going to take place. It was happening tonight, and there was no avoiding it.

Osborn exited the mobile command van were he was monitoring the other regiments of officers positioned at different points around the park. Some of the officers from the other precinct asked why they were being positioned so far away. Osborn knew there was no point in trying to get closer. Although he didn't test it, he could tell that the barrier was already up. The park was deserted, not an uncommon sight as the sun came down, but Osborn was unwilling to verify his suspicion. Going closer to the barrier would be acknowledging that there was a barrier, and acknowledging the barrier would be acknowledging the supernatural, which Osborn was still unwilling to do.

Almost as if they read his mind, Osborn could see the rays of red, green and blue fly down toward his position as he forgot about the supernatural barrier. They landed steadfastly and Blossom was the first to speak. "Captain, I'm ready to get this over with. Please tell me we can rush them."

"They're not even here yet," Osborn explained. " Stay put for now. We can't do anything until the barrier falls. Follow me to the mobile command." Osborn led them into the van and sat down in front of the multitude of screens. "We have limited visibility for now, but we have all the entrances covered. We'll be notified the second they arrive." Osborn dialed a number on the phone on the counter and pressed the button for speaker. "Meyer?"

"It's Sarah," came the reply. "Meyer is in the bathroom right now. I think this whole spell casting thing has got him all worked up. He completely believes it'll work, which is amazing in itself. He's just nervous that so much is riding on his success. You'd think being mayor of a major metropolitan city would be worse, but Meyer has his own priorities."

"I hope you're saying good things about me, Sarah," Meyer's voice could be heard faintly.

"Meyer," Osborn repeated. "Are you ready to cast the spell?"

"All the ingredients are on standby. They just need to be mixed and the invocation needs to be, well, invoked, I suppose."

"As a Catholic," Sarah pointed out, "I'm not entirely comfortable with this whole spell casting thing."

"I'll give you ten Hail Marys in advance," Osborn quipped. "Either way, you're doing it. Hold on. I'm getting an incoming call from one of my officers." Osborn ended the call and pressed another button.

"Captain, this is Beta Team leader. I was wondering if you changed some of the positions in the last few minutes."

"I haven't changed any of the positions since we arrived," Osborn replied immediately. "Why?"

"Because we're the only team on the south end, and I could have sworn I saw an officer cut across a nearby field. toward the center. He was with someone, a civilian wearing a brown suit and tie. He was carrying something. It looked like a video camera, but it he was too far to tell for sure."

"Thank you Beta Team leader," Osborn replied. "Keep an eye out for them, but maintain your position no matter what until I give the order. Understood?"

"Understood sir." Osborn ended the call just as Blossom's cell phone began to ring. "It's Gina-Marie," Blossom told everyone. "It'll only be a minute."

Blossom stepped out of the van and answered the phone. She didn't have the opportunity to even say hello. Gina-Marie was talking at the speed of light with a complete disregard for breathing. "Blossom! Justin is missing! Justin is missing! He's not in his hospital room! The Gangreen Gang kidnapped him. They have him! They've probably killed him. I don't know what to do! I'm freaking out here!"

"Calm down!" Blossom finally managed to squeeze in. "Justin is missing. How do you know the Gangreen Gang took him?"

"When I got here, the whole place was swarming with cops. I overheard one of them talking to the head nurse. She told him that she was attacked by three guys in green jackets. By the time she got out of the closet, they and Justin were gone. It was the Gangreen Gang, Blossom!

"Okay," Blossom interrupted again. 'If the Gangreen Gang has him, they have him for this ritual. That means he's still alive. They need him alive for the ritual to work. Go home for now. I'll call you when I have something new to report. Don't worry. I'll rescue him."

Blossom hung up and returned to the mobile command. "The gang has Justin."

"Get ready to save him," Osborn replied as he pointed at the topmost screen. "Here they come now." Sure enough, several vans pulled up on the East side and on the West side. Osborn called Meyer again. "Meyer. Sarah. They're here. Get started. I want that barrier down as soon as possible."

"On it, Captain," Sarah replied.

"The final battle," Bubbles noted.

"Scared?" Buttercup asked.

"They're the ones who should be scared," Blossom answered. "After all, we're the Powerpuff Girls. Stomping out criminals is what we do."


	22. The Invocation Termination

Chapter 22: The Invocation Termination

Xavier was the first one out of the van. He was followed closely by Desmond Callahan and Lucas Neuwirth. Behind them were the other four Gangreen members who had accepted the tattoo, including Big Billy. Each had their own hostage, each of whom were still in the van, tied up and blindfolded.

Xavier eyed the police parked across the park. He gave a small smile as he took a deep breath. "The barrier stands," Xavier proudly proclaimed. "Let the police gather around. I want them to bear witness to the greatest event of the modern era. They will stand in awe as the Gangreen Gang reigns supreme!"

"You're talking my language!" Lucas shouted in reply. He immediately hopped back in the van and dragged out his hostage. Justin groaned as he was being dragged out, his rib having been newly fractured in his fight with Lucas earlier in the day. He could barely stand on his own as he was led out of the van. "Say goodbye, Justin," Lucas mocked. "Your little girlfriend won't be able to save you this time."

Tom Seaton stepped out from one of the vans in the back and immediately approached Xavier. "Are you sure that barrier of yours will hold? The girls are strong."

"Mr. Seaton," Xavier replied, annoyed. "You're ignorance is astounding. You had a front row seat when Desmond single-handedly forced all three girls to retreat and yet you still doubt my power."

"You must understand I have my reservations," he defended. "The higher power cannot allow this to fail. Our success rides on your success."

"Your higher power will have his success," Xavier assured. "Just do me a favor and stay out of my way." Xavier turned around to his subordinates. "You know your positions. Take your hostages and be ready for the signal. Do not kill your offering before the signal is given or the ritual will fail. Am I understood?"

"Yes sir!" they all said in unison.

"Go now."

Lucas dragged Justin off toward the North part of the park. Big Billy wandered off with his hostage, his face covered with a bag, to the East. Desmond went toward the South, noticeably lacking a hostage and with Brooklyn following close behind him. "Desmond," she said meekly. "You don't have an offering."

"Let me handle that," Desmond replied in a guttural groan. "Just keep your mouth shut and do as I say." Brooklyn suppressed a tear and nodded.

Xavier stood in his designated spot. Two other members carried his altar in front of him, and another member placed the Book of Bakamin on the alter. Xavier flipped the book open and let out a deep breath. "And so it begins."

* * *

"Meyer!" came Tyler Osborn's voice from the phone on speaker on Elliott Meyer's desk. The shout caused him to jump and even caught Sarah Bellum by surprise. "Meyer I need that barrier down now! What's the hold-up?"

"I don't know!" Meyer shouted. "Sarah and I have been chanting for ten minutes now. We followed Reese's directions to the letter. I don't know what we could be doing wrong."

"I'm beginning to think that Reese may have lied to us," Sarah admitted.

"That's not an option," Osborn replied. "If Reese's spell doesn't work, then I have no way of penetrating this barrier. It has to work. It's our only chance. Get it done!" Osborn abruptly hung up, leaving Sarah and Meyer even more confused.

"I've got nothing," Sarah finally said. "What else can we do? Chant louder so they can hear us in the lobby downstairs?"

Meyer's eyes lit up. "Exactly!"

"I was kidding, Meyer."

"But I think you're on to something. Gather up the staff and have them meet in the courtyard in front of the building."

"How much of the staff?"

"All of them. Secretaries. Security. IT. HR. Janitors. I want all of them in the courtyard. Go!" Sarah started up and ran off to do Meyer's suggestion. She didn't even process it in her brain. She knew that if she even bothered to take a single second to think about it, the entire plan would sound stupid and she would put a stop to it. She didn't have that luxury. That barrier needed to go down, and if that meant getting the entire staff to chant a spell in the courtyard, that's what was going to happen.

Through a mixture of emergency emails, announcements on the PA system, and by word of mouth, Sarah managed to get the entire staff to gather in only ten minutes. Meyer was outside waiting with a stack of papers, each containing a photocopy of the incantation given by Reese Baum.

He and Sarah passed them out to everyone and Meyer took up the microphone. "You're probably wondering why you're all out here. Too bad. I don't have time to explain. Basically, if you don't start chanting what's written on that paper right now, you're all fired."

Everyone just stared in silence. Sarah took the microphone. "He's being serious. You're all fired if you don't start chanting right now." It was instantaneous. The entire crowd was chanting the spell. "God I hope this works."

* * *

"It's working," Osborn noted. The hazy fog that permeated the empty field between the police and Xavier was beginning to dissipate. "The barrier is disappearing. The counter-spell worked."

"So we can rush them?" Blossom asked hopefully.

"No," Osborn ordered. "Leave Xavier to me. Your job is to find the other gang members hidden around the park and rescue the hostages."

"You don't have to tell me twice," Blossom assured. "I have to save Justin." She turned to her sisters. "I'm going to find him. Can I count on you to rescue the other hostages?"

"Of course," Bubbles assured.

"It's not even a challenge," Buttercup added with a smirk.

"Okay Powerpuff Girls!" Blossom said. "It's time to save the day!" With that, the girls dispersed in opposite directions. Osborn began to advance toward where Xavier was standing. Soon, the only thing separating them was a few feet of empty field and a single tree. Tom Seaton, upon seeing him approach, had run off into the woods in fright.

"I don't know how you penetrated the barrier," Xavier began. "But you are going to regret it." Xavier lifted his left hand in Osborn's direction and fired a blast of green light. Osborn immediately took cover behind the tree and returned fire, only for Xavier to block the bullets with a personal barrier. "It's useless. You're just wasting your time." Osborn relented. He had no choice by the pull back for the time being.

* * *

"Kathleen, I'm tired of talking about this with you," Utonium remarked as he spoke to her on his cell phone. Utonium was at his house, unable to sleep and unable to relax since the PST meeting that afternoon. Reese told him she would text him with the time and location when she was ready, but it would definitely be that night. Utonium wasn't sure why, but he felt compelled to wear his best clothes for the occasion. He wasn't trying to impressed the guy or anything, but he felt compelled nonetheless.

"I'm not going to let this go," Keane persisted on the other end of the line. "Reese Baum cannot be trusted. You're walking right into a trap and you're letting it happen. How many times did we pull stunts like this back in the Devon Group? You know Mr. Devon would do this."

"I know where you're coming from," he continued to defend, "but he wouldn't do that to me. I know Mr. Devon. I am not expendable to him. He won't allow Reese to harm me. Mr. Devon has always protected me. I see no reason to doubt him now."

"Your loyalties are ill-placed," Keane derided. "We left the Devon Group ten years ago for a reason, Ken. Don't tell me you forgot it."

Utonium didn't reply. His phone beeped with an incoming message from Reese Baum. He took a deep breath and read it: R.L. Jackson Observatory. One hour.

"Kathleen, I have to go," he finally responded. "Reese sent the text. I have to go."

"Ken-"

He didn't hear it. He hung up and left his house without giving her words a second thought.

* * *

Zane Gedge and David Wilson kept to the trees. They didn't know what was going on. It didn't seem like the gang members knew what was going on either. Since they hadn't expected the police to penetrate the barrier, most of the gang members were frantically trying to run and hide. Most didn't have tattoos. They were hoping to coast while the tattooed operatives did all the heavy lifting.

Gedge caught sight of two young operatives trying to find a place to hide. "Wilson," Gedge whispered. "Keep the camera on me." Wilson nodded silently. Gedge pulled out his gun and began to approach them from behind as they tried to hide behind some trees.

"Don't move," Gedge said. They complied. "You're under arrest." Both of them released a sigh of defeat. Gedge removed two pairs of handcuffs and the two gang members cooperated as he cuffed them to the tree branch. "You're going to stay right here for now."

"Are you sure about that?" one of them spoke up. Gedge suddenly became alert and ducked to the ground as someone from behind took a swing at him. Gedge scurried back and pulled his gun out on the gang operative whose tattoo was readily visible. "I'd run if I were you," the same kid cuffed to the tree said. "He'll kill you if you don't." Gedge grunted in defeat. He looked to see that Wilson was no longer in the trees before turning to run.

Gedge continued to run until he was certain that the other kid did not give chase. He stopped to catch his breath before catching sight of someone else hiding behind a park bench. "Tom Seaton," he proclaimed as he pulled out his gun again. "I promised you I would put you back in a jail cell as soon as Jules was done with you. I'd say your work here is done."

"I don't have time for this!" Seaton shouted as Gedge grabbed his arm to handcuff him. Seaton smacked Gedge across the face and Gedge retaliated with a punch of his own. Gedge continued to hit him, twice in the face and once in the stomach until he could no longer fight back.

Gedge handcuffed him to the bench and said, "I have to find my reporter. You be a good little criminal and stay here for me. Thanks."

* * *

Lucas forced Justin to kneel on the ground as he stood behind him. "Do you want to know how I'm going to kill you, Justin?"

"I want you to kill me already so I don't have to listen to you," Justin quipped back.

Lucas ignored him. "I'm going to hold your head back and cut your throat like an animal. Doesn't that sound like fun? I'd like to see your little redhead try to do anything about it."

"Haven't you heard the other gang members running around scared because the barrier fell?" Justin pointed out. "Blossom will be here in a matter of seconds. You're done for, Lucas."

"I invite her to try. What's one teenage girl against the ultimate power of the Book of Bakamin?"

"I don't know," Blossom quipped from the top of a nearby tree. "Come to think of it, there really isn't any research on the subject. Miss Keane always says that experience is the best teacher, so why don't we find out right now?" Blossom speed down from the tree and shoved Lucas back against another tree. Instantly enraged, Lucas hit back, pushing her off of him. Lucas began to wildly swing at her, but his swings were so uncoordinated that Blossom managed to slip out of each one.

"No offense," Blossom started, "but I was expecting a little better. All style. No substance. It's really no fun at all." Lucas growled and began to swing even more wildly, but at the cost of accuracy. Blossom simply flew up and allowed Lucas to swing at the empty air. Upon realizing the trick, Lucas growled again and pulled out his knife. Ignoring Xavier's explicit instruction, Lucas charged at Justin, knife in hand. Blossom, however, landed in between then, crushing the knife in her hands. "Playtime's over," she said before landing a solid punch that knocked him out.

Blossom turned her attention to Justin, whom she untied and immediately carried into safety.

"Blossom I lo-"

"Hold that thought," she interrupted. "Seriously. Hold it, because I really want to hear it, but right now I have to be a superhero." With that, Blossom ran back into the fray.

* * *

Bubbles stopped suddenly. She had already carried off some minor gang members back to awaiting police officers, but they were just small fish that gave themselves up willingly. Bubbles turned to her left. It was one of the tattooed operatives, Big Billy, with his hostage tied up and his head bagged resting against a tree. Bubbles immediately felt a pull in that direction and an insatiable need to rescue him.

Bubbles ran in, ignoring Billy so she could look at the hostage and remove the bag over his head. "You!" she said with a smile she was trying to hide. "Blond thief!"

"Excuse me," Billy interrupted. "I hope you don't think you're going anywhere with my offering."

"I'm sorry," Bubbles answered. "There seems to have been some misunderstanding. You see, blond thief is mine. We have this whole back-and-forth thing that we do, so I can't let you kill him. Forgive and forget, right?" Billy cracked his knuckled. "I guess not," was her reply. Bubbles ran at him and Billy immediately caught her, spun her around, and threw her against a tree. Bubbles didn't let that slow her down. She remembered her practice with Buttercup and flew at him again, this time slipping out of his grasp and getting in behind him. Before he could turn around, Bubbles grabbed and slammed him against the ground.

Billy wasn't one too go down so easily. He grabbed her by the ankles, causing her to shriek and fly into the air. Bubbles stopped, realizing that she was several stories in the sky and Billy was still holding on to her ankles. "A simple take down didn't suffice," Bubbles said. "How about one from fifteen stories up?" Bubbles managed to grab Billy by the throat and immediately shoved him down in the ground. The impact left a sizable crater as well as Billy completely wiped out. Bubbles scanned the area. As usual, the blond thief was nowhere to be found.

* * *

Brooklyn was standing against a tree as she watching Desmond standing alone in the middle of a small field smoking his cigarette in silence. She knew the ritual was getting ready to enter its next step. She knew they were only moments away from the tattooed members of the gang to sacrifice their victims, and yet Desmond still did not have an offering. She didn't ask him. She was afraid to receive the obvious answer she was trying to avoid.

Suddenly, the signal came. A sudden strong gust of wind rushed past them followed by a faint fog of green that dispersed almost immediately. It was time to sacrifice the offering. "Desmond," she spoke up. "Where's your offering?" She felt so stupid asking it. She knew very well Desmond intended to sacrifice her.

Desmond turned toward her and took out his knife. He approached her with the blade and Brooklyn began to cry as she kept her back against the tree. "Desmond please-"

"Finally, I'll be free of your incessant whining," he growled. He brought the knife up as she continued to cry and her breathing became heavy and labored. He leveled his arm with her neck and pulled his arm back. He swung toward her throat, but his arm was stopped by a sudden new arrival.

"She seems busy," Buttercup quipped as she shoved him back. "Maybe you should talk to her later."

"Only one of you?" Desmond shot back. "I guess your sisters have more sense than you."

"Don't bother with your threats," she continued. "I've already taken down three tattooed gang members. Assuming my sisters each took down one, that makes you the last one. I'm on a roll, and I don't plan on stopping now."

Buttercup rushed him, but Desmond grabbed her arm and shoved her into the ground. He didn't gave her time for recovery. He jumped on her and delivered a barrage of punches to her face and stomach that took her down a peg even once she was finally able to push him off. Buttercup sped behind him and knocked him in the side, knocking him off balance and allowing Buttercup to deliver her own barrage of fists, but it only seemed to drive Desmond into more of a frenzy to the point that the punches no longer even seemed to affect him.

"I am invisible!" Desmond shouted. "You cannot defeat me!" Desmond started catching all of Buttercup's punches and as soon as he got the opportunity, he kneed her in the jaw and landed a punch the caused her to fall back on the ground motionless and defeated.

"I've had just about enough of you," he said as he recovered his knife and approached the downed Powerpuff Girl, but as he got closer, he began to lose his equilibrium before falling to his knees in pain. He clenched his arm where the tattoo was as it burned brightly. The pain was causing him to suffer greatly and Brooklyn immediately ran to his side.

"Brooklyn." His voiced was labored. It hurt immensely just to talk. "Help me. Please Brooklyn. Help me."

"Of course," she said. Brooklyn knelt in front of him and put his arms around her shoulders. She pulled him closer and rested him against herself. Suddenly, she began to cry again. "I love you, Desmond." Brooklyn continued to cry as she took the knife and buried it into Desmond's stomach. He continued to groan and shout in pain as he let go of her and fell onto the ground. His groans continued for a few seconds until death finally took him. Buttercup arose to see Desmond dead, Brooklyn crying, and another sudden gust of wind that Brooklyn knew meant Desmond's blood had been accepted for the ritual.

* * *

Lucas walked. He didn't really know where he was going, but he knew he had to walk. He could stay where Blossom had defeated him and rescued his offering. The signal had been given and he had nothing to offer. He felt like a failure and nothing could appease him. Most of the other gang members had either run off or been capture by one of the girls. The park was virtually deserted. Lucas kept walking, hoping one of the girls would put him out of his misery until catching a glimpse of a saving grace.

He adjusted his eyes to the darkness to make sure he was really seeing what he thought he was seeing. There, handcuffed to a bench, was Tom Seaton. It was like a Christmas present all wrapped up just for him. Lucas put a smile on his face as he approached.

"Who is that?" Seaton said in desperation. "Luke? Is that you? Oh thank God you're here. I'm in a little of a bind in case you can't see. That traitor Gedge cuffed me to the bench. You have a tattoo. You can break it easily. Just get me out of here and I promise I'll be out of your way forever. Sound like a deal, Luke?"

"Sure," he said. Lucas came forward, but instead of breaking the handcuffs, he stood behind Seaton and grabbed him by the hair. He stuttered in fright, but failed to make any coherent thought before Lucas took his knife and cut his throat, letting him bleed out until he died. The sudden gust of wind showed Seaton's blood was accepted. "Don't call me Luke," he said before walking off again.

* * *

Osborn stayed hidden behind a group of trees, trying to figure out how to get to Xavier. No amount of chanting from the capital could diminish Xavier's personal power. He had to figure out something else. As he thought, someone came out from the tree to his other side. He pulled his gun out, but holstered upon recognizing David Wilson.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded.

"Long story," he replied.

"Well, you have about twenty years ahead of you in the state penitentiary to tell it, so there's no rush."

"Come on, Osborn. Be reasonable."

Osborn glanced back at Xavier as a plan formulated. "You want reasonable? I'll forget I saw you if you run out there and draw Xavier's fire."

"What?"

"Don't worry. I'll cover you. Don't you trust me?"

"No!"

"Too bad. You're doing it anyway."

Wilson took a deep breath. He had no other choice. He laid his camera down and stepped out in front of Xavier. "Who are you?" he asked, pointing at him ready to fire.

"Me? I'm David. David Wilson. You might recognize me from TV. Or maybe not. You don't look like you watch a lot of TV. Anyway, I got kind of lost and you seem busy with your book there, so I'll be on my way."

"I don't know who you are or what you're doing here," Xavier said, "but I am just moments away from making history and I cannot allow a liability to walk off. Goodbye, Mr. Wilson." Xavier charged a blast and Wilson instinctively took to the fetal position. Just as Xavier was about to release his blast, Osborn came out and fired three shots at Xavier, all of them hitting him. Xavier instantly hit the ground dead, and a final gust of wind accepted his blood as offering, bringing the ritual to its end.

* * *

Welcome Ken," Reese said as she greeted him at the door of the observatory.

"Cut the pleasantries, Reese. I'm not here to chat." Utonium was firm and insistent. He didn't want to stay any longer than he had to, so Reese silently led him into the elevator.

"Next stop. Tenth floor. Observation deck." Reese said as she hit the button. They rode in silence and upon reaching the floor, Reese immediately went across the room to the telescope. "It's set to Ursa Major," she explained. "Don't you just love looking at the starts? It has a calming ability, don't you think?"

"The higher power," Utonium insisted. "I'm not here to play your games."

"Fine," she replied, defeated. She took out a card and led him to a door to their left. She swiped the card in the panel, pressed a four-digit code, and opened the door. She flipped the light switch, revealing a room full of computers and cables.

"These aren't part of the observatory," he noted. "These are new."

"Very observant," Reese said as she led Utonium to the end of the room where all the cables led. "May I introduce you to the higher power."

Utonium looked on in silence for a few seconds before he replied. "This is some kind of joke."

"I'm not laughing," Reese pointed out, "and I always laugh at my own jokes."

"He died ten years ago," Utonium added. "This can't be him."

"And yet it is," Reese continued, "and you know it's him. You just can't admit it. Believe it Ken. The higher power is Mojo Jojo."

Utonium was silent again before answering. "So it is. I guess I always knew it was a possibility he survived, but this I never saw coming."

"Now answer me this," Reese said as Utonium felt the barrel of her gun press against his temple "Did you see this coming?"

"You're not going to kill me, Reese."

"Oh no? Why is that?"

"Mr. Devon won't let you. He'll protect me. He always has. He always will."

"You still haven't figured it out," Reese said with a small laugh. "Did you ever once wonder why the Devon Group never contacted you? Why Ryan Parker himself wasn't banging your door down four months ago?"

"I guess it never crossed my mind. Why don't you enlighten me, Reese?"

"I don't work for the Devon Group anymore, Ken. I left four moths ago the second I heard of the foiled assassination attempt on Elliott Meyer. Since then, I've been keeping the girls a secret. You might think the girls are world famous, but the fact is that because of me, no one outside of Townsville has ever heard of them. It's because of me that the girls are safe from Mr. Devon."

"Why?" Utonium asked. "Why would you go through so much trouble to circumvent the Devon Group? What's your goal?"

"It's simple, really," she explained. "Ten years ago, you couldn't deal with skating the line between good and evil. You left the Devon Group to become a hero. Four months ago, I felt the same way. I left the Devon Group to become a villain. There is so much potential in that one vial of Chemical X. Mr. Devon would be cautious about how he used it. It would be a waste. With me, that vial will create the greatest meta-human army the world will ever know, and I'll lead the brigade. This planet will be at my mercy, and you're really the only one who could stop me, so I'm afraid I have to kill you now."

Reese cocked her gun and a shot rang out, but it didn't come from Reese. Reese was hit and hit the ground, dropping her gun out of her reach. Utonium recovered it and turned to see that it was Kathleen Keane who had fired that shot.

"You have a gun?" Utonium asked. "You know how to shoot a gun?"

"Yeah," she said. "Kind of. I've never actually fired one before, but it seemed easy enough."

"You've never fired a gun before? You couldn't have killed me!"

"I'm sorry for saving your life, then," she snapped back. "Next time I'll remember to be considerate enough to let you die."

"That's all I ask."

"You guys are idiots," Reese said while gasping for breath. The bullet had apparently pieced her lung, and she was losing blood fast. "When I die, no one will stop the Devon Group from taking the girls away."

"Let them come," Keane replied strongly. "I'm not afraid of Ryan."

"You will be," Reese said before taking her last breath.

Utonium lowered Reese's eyelids before searching her pockets. "She doesn't have it," he said. "The vial isn't on her."

"We'll find it," she assured him. "Let's just get rid of her body for now. What about monkey brain over here?"

"We can't tell anyone," Utonium ordered. "I'll figure out something later. As for right now, Mojo Jojo stays between us."

* * *

Tyler Osborn finished receiving the preliminary report from the Beta Team leader as Blossom finally returned from surveying the park, just Bubbles and Buttercup did before her. "What the status?" Osborn asked.

"Deserted," she assured him. "The place is completely empty. Everyone and everything has been recovered."

"I think we did well," Bubbles added.

"I still wish that girl hadn't killed Desmond," Buttercup replied in a disappointed tone. "That wasn't a fair fight. I wanted a rematch!" Buttercup looked to her left to see that Brooklyn was being led into a police car that already had Lucas in it. "Yeah! You! I'm talking about you!" Brooklyn didn't acknowledge her, which only made Buttercup madder.

"Speaking of casualties," Osborn continued, "it looks like only three people were killed tonight: Xavier, Callahan, and Seaton. All of our guys came out alive, and that something to be proud of, even the renegade sergeants who don't know how to follow orders."

"Sorry Captain," Gedge said. "I did what I had to do."

"I can attest to that," Wilson said. "Zane Gedge is a man of integrity and honor."

"As for David Wilson," Osborn continued without acknowledging him directly. "I am willing to forget I saw him at all today if he leaves right now."

"That's my cue," he said leaping up and heading off. "I just want to say one more thing. I've been wanting to say it for a long time, but I've been waiting for the perfect moment. Once again, the day is saved, thanks to the Powerpuff Girls!"

"Glad I'm appreciated," Osborn muttered. "That about does it for tonight. The remaining gang members will be tried and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. A few operatives and hostages are still unaccounted for, but we'll round them up in the next couple of days. Thank you for everything, girls. You can head on home now."

"Not quite yet," Blossom said as she eyed Justin standing off to the side. "You guys go on ahead. I'll catch up. They understood and gave her privacy. She flew up to him and didn't even bother suppressing her broad smile. Justin had a matching smile as Blossom began, "I've been waiting for this moment almost my entire life. Literally."

Justin smiled again. "I love you, Blossom."

"I love you too, Justin."

There was nothing more to be said. Her sisters watch silently from a distance as Blossom and Justin embraced and shared their first kiss. Unknowingly, Blossom began to levitate. Justin pulled back and smiled. "That's a little awkward."

"Just a little," she agreed as she grounded herself and returned to the kiss. Bubbles and Buttercup nodded and called it a night. "This is going to be perfect," Blossom said. "Now that the Gangreen Gang has been defeated, there's nothing left but the regular stuff. We can actually have a normal relationship. Now that the super villains have been taken care off, things will be back to normal before you know it."

* * *

Malcolm Jules' helicopter landed in a small clearing in the hills outside of Townsville. "Keep it running," he told the pilot. "I won't be long." Jules stepped out and followed the path that led to the dilapidated cabin of Norman Lumpkins.

Lumpkins was sitting outside brandishing his shotgun as he had been since hearing the helicopter land. Lumpkins pointed his gun threateningly, but Jules wasn't intimidated. "Put the gun down, Mr. Lumpkins. You're not going to shoot anyone, not unless you desperately want to see the inside of a jail cell."

Lumpkins took a few seconds, but assented to the command. "Who are you? Police? FBI? What do you want?"

"I am not law enforcement, Mr. Lumpkins," he assured him. "My name is Malcolm Jules. I am a representative of a higher power. I am here to offer you a lucrative opportunity." Lumpkins simply grunted to demonstrate he was listening. Jules continued. "As you know, three teenage girls known collectively as the Powerpuff Girls have been protecting Townsville over the last couple months. They have been a constant thorn in my side that I have been trying to get rid of, and I am ashamed to say my efforts have failed."

"Join the club," Lumpkins replied. "What the hell does all this have to do with me?"

"Do you want the deed to your land back, Mr. Lumpkins?" Now he was intrigued, so Jules continued. "I have recently come to the realization that I have been going about this Powerpuff problem all wrong. Relying on the supernatural has proven to be a fruitless endeavor. I have to fight fire with fire. Townsville is being protected by three teenage girls who have been scientifically enhanced with superpowers. The higher power is jealous. He wants his own team."


	23. The Loveless Numbness

Chapter 23: The Loveless Numbness

One Month Later...

"Meyer!" Sarah shouted.

"What?" Meyer shouted back.

"Are you even listening to me?"

"Of course I'm listening to you," he replied, taking his eyes of the computer for the first time since starting the conversation began. "You're talking about the budget. You're talking about the meeting I have tomorrow with local business leaders. You're talking about how my tie doesn't match my shirt. I'm listening to you, Sarah. I can listen and play Solitaire at the same time."

"I suppose you can," she said unwillingly. "As I was saying, you should have worn a red tie. On a previous topic, Captain Osborn requested that you call a PST meeting as soon as possible. I don't know what he has planned for it, but I'm sure it has something to do with what he's been bringing up for the last month. He doesn't believe Miss Keane or the professor. They say Reese Baum led them to a dead and that they don't know where she is. Osborn thinks they're lying."

"Osborn always thinks they're lying," Meyer pointed out. "The man has never really trusted the professors from day one."

"The professor hasn't really given us any reason to give him our trust," Sarah defended. "I think Osborn may be right on this one. Still, grilling the professor to tell the truth is a moot point. I'm still certain John Utonium is not his real name. If he won't even divulge his name, then any secrets he has from the night of the summoning are well kept in his mind."

Sarah suddenly stopped talking. She stopped to make sure she heard what she thought she heard. As it processed in her head, she was certain she heard right. "Meyer, did you just whisper 'Yes!' under your breath?"

"Meyer stopped to think about his answer for a few seconds. "I did," he finally said. "I won my game. I was excited. Is that a crime, Sarah?"

Sarah brushed off his reply and continued where she left off. "The Gangreen Gang appears to be completely dismantled. Priscilla Moore is still in custody, and the professor has agreed to take her case in hopes that whatever Melanie Reenie did to her can be reversed."

Sarah stopped again when she heard Meyer whisper again. "Meyer, did you just say 'idiot' under your breath this time."

"Yeah, he replied. "I made a bad move. I'm calling myself an idiot."

Sarah walked over to his side of the desk, and Meyer swiftly clicked a button that he hoped Sarah had missed. She saw that the game of Solitaire hadn't even been begun. At the bottom of the screen was the window that Meyer had quickly minimized. Sarah took the mouse and brought the window back up, revealing a live video of a gymnastic competition. "Meyer, what is this?"

"Gymnastics!" he said forcefully.

"Meyer, these are little girls. Why are you watching preteen gymnastics?"

"It's not preteen. The age bracket is twelve to fifteen."

"You didn't answer my question. You know what? Never mind, I don't. Even want to know the answer." Sarah closed the window, leaving Meyer dismayed. "We're done with that. I don't want to catch you watching this again. Understood?"

"Understood," he said, defeated.

* * *

Back at Millennium Park, Bubbles was enjoying her third orange soda of the day as she sat on the bench, taking a break while her sisters ran back and forth across town. Since the failed summoning, the Powerpuff Girls and the police began working nonstop in searching for any Gangreen members who might have escaped that night and gone into hiding. One month later, it seemed that every single participant in the summoning was finally in custody.

Blossom and Buttercup offered to check all known Gangreen Gang hideouts, including ones given up by recently captured members, just to make sure that there weren't any others. Osborn put Zane Gedge in charge of making sure all of the gang members were accounted for. It was somewhat of a punishment for him for having disobeyed Osborn. Gedge had to personally interview each of the Gangreen members in order to compile a list of all known operatives. Since the gang members had little interaction with each other before the summoning, the list was difficult to compile with each member giving a different roster.

Gedge seemed certain that everyone was accounted for, and so he came to Millennium Park in order to tell the girls that the search for the Gangreen Gang members would be ending. He spotted Bubbles on the bench and waved as he came over to her. "Hello Bubbles."

"Hello Sergeant," she replied. "Oh. I'm sorry. Hello Lieutenant." Gedge gave an embarrassed smile. Having been promoted only the week before for his bravery in fighting the Gangreen Gang. He still wasn't used to the new level of respect. "If you're wondering where my sisters are, they should be back soon. They just wanted to take one more run before calling it quits."

"That's what I called you all here for," Gedge replied. He stopped as Blossom and Buttercup suddenly sped over and joined the conversation. "Good timing girls," he continued. "I just came to tell you that the search for any remaining gang members is officially over. I'm pretty confident with the list I've compiled. As far as the hostages are concerned, I've managed to account for everyone except Jeremy Flint."

"Who?" Buttercup asked.

"You know. The blond homeless guy who held up the gas station a couple months ago."

"That's his name?" Bubbles spoke up jovially. "He has a cute name."

"You're not even trying to hide your crush anymore," Buttercup noted. Bubbles instinctively tried to defend, but no words came out, so she just stayed seated drinking her orange soda.

"As far as Flint is concerned," Gedge continued, "He has spent the last five years successfully hiding from police. If he doesn't want to be found, he won't be. I would bother if I were you."

"You're preaching to the choir, Lieutenant," Blossom replied. "I've got somewhere else I'd rather be anyway." She looked across the field, where everyone then noticed Justin was standing. "If you all will excuse me." Blossom bid her goodbyes to her sisters and Gedge before dashing off to meet Justin by his car. "I'm glad you came," she said.

"I did promise," Justin replied before giving her a light kiss. "Unfortunately, I'm going to have to cut our day short. I also promised Zachary and Gina-Marie that I'd help them pack. I also still have to stop by the bank. I promised them months ago that I would pay the security deposit at the apartment. Even though I'm not going anymore, I still made that promise, so it'll be like a going away present."

"Sounds nice," Blossom said. "I can come along, if you'd like."

"Not this time. Sorry. It's kind of a band thing. You understand, right?"

"Absolutely," she replied, even though she didn't. Justin smiled and open his car door to get in.

"Justin," she said. "I love you."

Justin smiled and nodded. "I love you too, Blossom."

* * *

"I don't love her." Those were the first words out of Justin's mouth as he exited his car and approached the front door of Zachary's house, where Gina-Marie awaited him.

"I feel like I'm missing an introduction to this conversation," Gina-Marie noted as she led him inside and sat him down on the couch next to where she had all of her clothes folded in an effort to get them to fit inside one suitcase. "Start from the beginning. You're not talking about Blossom, are you?"

"Who's talking about Blossom?" Zachary asked absentmindedly as he came into the living room from the kitchen with a ham and cheese sandwich.

"I am talking about Blossom," he assented. He looked Gina-Marie in the eye with a pitiful look. "Guys, I don't think I love her anymore."

"Damn it!" Zachary said as Gina-Marie extended her hand.

"Come on," she urged him. "The bet was clear. You lost. Pay up."

"Hold on," Zachary said just as he took a five dollar bill from his pocket. "The bet was for a month."

"Yes," Gina-Marie explained. "I bet that they would not last a month. You bet that they would."

"It's been thirty days since the incident at Millennium Park," Zachary argued. "That means they lasted a month exactly. I win."

"I don't know about your calendars in America," she quipped, "but in Australia, May has 31 days. I win."

"Guys!" Justin interrupted. "This is serious!"

"Absolutely," Gina-Marie assented. "You are absolutely right. I completely apologize for trivializing you dire situation." Before Zachary even realized it, Gina-Marie paused, snatched the bill from his hands, and continued talking to Justin. "Now for your problem. You have to break up with her."

"Do you have another suggestion that doesn't put me on the bad side of a superhero?"

"Justin, if there's one thing consistent about you, it's that you're inconsistent. You have to take responsibility for your own actions. Otherwise, how will you ever learn?"

"Can't I just come with you to L.A. and hope she doesn't notice I'm gone?"

"Justin," she chided. "You're not going anywhere with us unless this is done, and soon. Either break up with her, or find some way to fall in love with her again." With that, Gina-Marie left the room and went upstairs.

Zachary glanced up to make sure Gina-Marie was out of the room and said, "I have a plan to get you to fall in love with Blossom again. Come on. We're going to the Corner Shop."

* * *

John Utonium never grew tired of perusing the computers in the room on the tenth floor of the R.L. Jackson Observatory. He had spent the last month verifying exactly what each cable connected to Mojo actually did. There were a total of ten cables connected in some way to the monkey was who was suspended by beams that attached to his arms.

Utonium was able to determine the use of most of the cables. Most of them were to sustain his life. The burns he sustained ten years prior were still visible, and most of the cables provided life support in the form of food, medicine and oxygen. Utonium followed these cables to another room where a seemingly never-ending supply of life support was stored. Someone had gone through a lot of trouble to make sure Mojo could survive on his own for a long time.

Utonium spun around with a jump when he heard the door behind him open. His released his held breath when he saw Kathleen Keane approach. "You're late," Utonium said.

"I had to make sure I wasn't followed," she replied. "Keeping this a secret from Osborn isn't exactly an easy thing."

"Never mind that," Utonium continued. "I've been thinking about the last ten years. Mojo has been here all this time, and we've so far assumed that Reese has been the one taking care of him."

"Yes," Kathleen replied, "and that backroom proves that Mojo did not need constant attention. Reese could leave Mojo on his own for months on end."

"But look at all of this," Utonium insisted. "Look at all of these computers. Looks at all of this machinery. Obviously, the Devon Group doesn't know about all of this, or else they would be here by now. How could Reese have set all this up without Mr. Devon knowing? The man is beyond astute. Nothing gets passed him."

"He's not omniscient," Kathleen continued. "It's possible. Reese was no idiot, either."

"Here's the smoking gun, though," Utonium said, pointing at the helmet Mojo wore. "This is the helmet that Mojo uses to control his representative, Malcolm Jules. Recognize it?"

Kathleen stepped up to look at it closer. "Not really."

"Exactly," Utonium replied. "I wasn't sure about it until now, but it's the same one. Reese and her scientists were working on this helmet privately ten years ago. She didn't say what it was for, but if her bombastic speech last month is any indication, she was probably intent on using it to control her super army. In any case, Reese told the other members of the four to keep it under wraps, which means only she and her team were familiar with the helmet. If Reese had taken it from the Devon Group, Mr. Devon would have been suspicious."

"So you're saying Reese had an accomplice for the last ten years?"

"Exactly," Utonium replied. "After the incident, you and I weren't the only ones to leave the Devon Group." Utonium picked up a manila folder and handed it to Kathleen. "Recognize him?" he asked as she looked at the picture inside the folder stapled to a few other documents. Kathleen nodded and Utonium continued. "Sudhir Bachchan was Reese's lead scientist at the time of the incident. He resigned two months later, giving no indication why. Since then, Sudhir has been under the radar."

"Let me guess," Kathleen continued. "Now we have to find him?"

"Reese did not have the vial of Chemical X on her when she died. Someone else must have it, and Sudhir is out best bet."

* * *

Buttercup was beginning to lose interest in trying to keep up with Bubbles, who was flying at top speed and had been for the last hour and a half. "I hope you know," Buttercup shouted as she slowed down to a stop, hovering over a skyscraper. "I'm really just humoring you. We're not going to find Flint, not flying around aimlessly, at least."

"I know," Bubbles assented. "I appreciate the support though, even if it is just to humor me. I don't know why, but I really feel like I need to find him, now more than before."

"Serendipity," Buttercup replied as she pointed down. "Look who's squad car is pulling into that parking lot down there."

"Captain Osborn!" Bubbles shrieked as she sped down to ground level and approached the driver side of his squad car before Osborn could even put the car in park. "Captain Osborn! I need your help."

Osborn sighed. He turned to Bubbles and replied. "How can I help you Bubbles?"

"Jeremy Flint. I need your help in finding him. I can't explain it, but I have this feeling that he needs to be found."

Osborn looked behind Bubbles and looked at Buttercup, who simply shrugged. Back to Bubbles, he said, "No. Even if I wanted to, which I don't, the clean-up for the Millennium Park incident is officially over. Jeremy Flint has gone into hiding like he always does."

"I don't know," Buttercup interceded on Bubbles behalf. "Bubbles and I talked to some of the homeless at Millennium Park. They seem to genuinely not know where he is. I know they lie to protect each other, but I don't think they're lying."

Osborn sighed again. "I'll put out an APB for Flint, but I'm not going to spend anymore manpower in looking for him. That's the compromise. Take it or leave it."

"We'll take it!" Bubbles replied. "Thank you, Captain!"

* * *

"You remember the plan?" Justin asked Slim. He nodded, then began nodding slower, until finally shaking his head. Justin sighed. He and Slim were standing a deserted alleyway between the movie theater and a closed department store. "Okay. Here's the plan. Pay attention because this is the last time I'm going to explain it to you. Blossom is meeting me here for a date. You are going to pretend to mug me. Blossom will come and rescue me and I'll fall in love with her."

"And I'll be a bad guy?" Slim asked hopefully.

"Oh yeah," Justin assured. "The baddest. Maximum security prisons won't be enough for you guys."

"And Blossom is going to stop me?" he asked even more hopefully than the previous question.

"Absolutely. She'll even beat you to a pulp. It'll be great." Justin looked up as the ray of red reached their location. "Okay. She's coming. Put your mask on and pretend to mug me."

"Mask?" he asked. "Oh! I knew I was forgetting something."

"You didn't bring a mask? Whatever. Just hold me up. Where's your weapon?"

"I don't like weapons. Guns make loud noises."

"You didn't even bring a knife from the Corner Shop?"

"Bossman doesn't let me use knives anymore."

Time was up. Slim was completely unprepared as Blossom landed right beside Justin. "Hey," she began. "Slim? What are you doing here?"

"Justin asked me to come," Slim pointed out, even though Justin was giving him the look to shut up.

"Oh," Blossom replied. "Justin that was awfully nice of you to invite Slim to the movies with us. A little odd, but nice. Still, I was kind of expecting a date."

"Trust me," he said, "I'm as surprised as you are."

* * *

After a few days, Osborn finally got the PST meeting he was asking for. Since the girls became integrated with their meetings, Meyer agreed that the girls had to be at least notified of each meeting before they could take place, and Kathleen agreed to give the girls a summary of what was discussed if they could not attend. Except for the girls, everyone managed to come to the PST meeting. Utonium was somewhat unwilling to come, because he knew very well what Osborn's focus was going to be at the meeting.

"Okay," Sarah said. "Captain Osborn called this meeting together, so I suppose we should let him have the floor."

"Thank you Sarah," he replied. "As far as the Gangreen Gang is concerned, all known members are either deceased or in custody. As far as the ritual is concerned, Lieutenant Gedge reported that some of the gang members were insisting that because the ritual was completed halfway, the demon might still have come into this realm. None of them were able to give any specifics on how that could be possible, so those reports are being taken with a grain of salt."

"What about Priscilla Moore?" Kathleen asked.

"The professor has agreed to take her case, but so far he has only seen her three times, and only for an hour each visit. We won't make any progress in her recuperation if the lead scientist doesn't put in any effort."

"I'll stay for two hours next time," Utonium answered sarcastically.

"Speaking of John Utonium and his free time," Osborn continued, leading into what everyone knew was coming, "I still feel there are discrepancies in your detailing of the events that evening of the summoning."

"What discrepancies?" Utonium shot back. "I told you as plainly as I possibly could. Reese texted me to meet her at a junkyard after hours. I went there, waited four hours, and left. Reese never contacted me again and her phone number has been disconnected. She did not reveal the identity of the higher power like she promised and I have no idea where she is now."

"You don't even know how to tell the truth, do you Utonium?"

"Watch what you say, Captain."

"Is that a threat?"

"Unbelievable!" Meyer interjected.

Everyone looked at him, and he looked up at all of them. Sarah Bellum shook her head, walked over to him, and extended her hand. Defeated, Meyer pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and the headphones out of his ears. Sarah saw on the screen the image of a young dark-haired girl sticking a difficult landing before closing the window and confiscating the cell phone. "You'll get this back at the end of the day," Sarah castigated. Meyer simply pouted, and everyone else decided to leave before the situation turned any more awkward.

* * *

"There's no way you guys can screw this one up," Justin explained to Bossman and Junior. "It's really simple. It's so simple, even you guys can do it. I'm going to give you my car keys. You are going to take my car and drive off with it. I'll call Blossom and tell her my car has been stolen. She go, find it, carry it back, and it image of her carrying my car back to me will inflame my love for her. Understood?"

"Who do you think you're talking to?" Bossman replied. "I'm the kingpin of crime. You don't have to explain it to me like I don't know what I'm doing."

"It's in the bag," Junior added.

"Right. Whatever. Just go." Bossman started the ignition and drove off down the end of Justin's cul-de-sac neighborhood and turned left. Justin called Blossom with his best frantic voice. "Blossom! My car's gone! I came outside and it's gone. I don't know where it is! I don't know what to do!"

"I'll be there is a second," she replied confidently. "Don't worry." Justin hung up and waited. He spotted the ray of red coming after on two minutes and it wasn't long before Blossom was next to him. "Thank God you're here!" he continued. "I don't know what to do!"

"I'm on it, Justin," she assured. Blossom sped off down the street and Justin went to release his held breath, but his cell phone rang before he even had the chance. He saw the number was Blossom's and incredulously answer it. "Blossom?"

"Justin," she said calmly. "Could you do me a favor? Could you walk down to the end of your street and turn to your left?" Justin didn't respond. He hung up, walked to the end of his street and turned left, finding exactly what he was afraid to find.

"Huh. It's my car. I guess I must have parked it here on accident."

"Don't stress," Blossom said. "I forget where I put things all the time. Come on. Since I'm here, we can hang out. Sound good?"

"Yeah. Great."

* * *

David Wilson took the first bite out of the last slice of pizza left in his fridge. "Oh Townsville pizza. I will miss you most of all." He finished the slice and returned to his living room where his one suitcase in the middle of the room lay. He looked around. In the last month, he had either sold or given away most of his things. The only things were had kept were several articles of clothing that all fit comfortably in a regular-sized suitcase along with two pairs of shoes and his laptop.

He took a look at his suitcase before taking one quick look around the apartment. It was completely bare. He nodded in approval and returned to his suitcase just as he heard a knock. He looked up at the door, but paused. The knock didn't come from that direction. It came from behind him, where the window was.

Wilson fought the instinct that came into his mind. He lived on the eleventh floor and there was a knock on his window. "Window washer," he said. "I'm going to turn around an see a window washer."

Another knock, this time accompanied by Buttercup's shrill voice. "Mr. Wilson! Can't you hear me knocking? Open the stupid window."

"There goes that theory," he said, turning around and seeing Bubbles and Buttercup hovering outside his window waiting for him. Reluctantly, he opened the window and the two girls fluttered right in. "I hope you know I could still get in trouble for you being here."

"What are you talking about?" Bubbles asked. "And why is your apartment empty? Did you get robbed?"

"No, I didn't get robbed. " he explained. "I'm moving. Since I never got my producer a story, I was let go from the station. As long as that restraining order remains in place, I can't make a career here."

"Where are you going?" Buttercup asked.

"Back to New York," he explained. "That's where I went to college. That's where I interned. I'm hoping the stationed that I interned for will take me back."

"Do you have to go right now?" Bubbles pleaded. "We were hoping you would help us find someone. Jeremy Flint. He was a hostage at the ritual."

"Sorry girls," he replied. "My flight leaves tonight. If you want, you can have the recording I took during the ritual. There isn't much there. I spent most of the time running, so whatever is on the footage is a mystery even to me. Osborn made it very clear that I was not give the footage to my producer, so I haven't even watched it. I've already mailed it to my new address in New York, but I'll have it sent back as soon as I get there. Sound good?"

"Better than nothing," Bubbles replied. "Thank you. Mr. Wilson. I'm sorry you have to leave."

"Me too," he answered.

* * *

"You guys are hopeless," Justin lectured. He was standing in the Corner Shop in front of Bossman and Junior. Slim wasn't there when he arrived that night, and he didn't even bother asking where he was. Justin simply began with a lecture. "I asked you guys to do one thing. I didn't think it was too hard. How hard is it to mug someone? How hard is it to steal a car?"

"Justin," Bossman began to explain. "I think we've gone about this all wrong. Crime is a very delicate thing. I don't think you fully understand the complexities that it entails, so your anger is ill-placed."

"My anger is placed just fine," Justin continued. "Moreover, it's you guys who don't understand the complexities of love. I need to fall back in love with Blossom now. You are ruining that opportunity." The front door opened behind Justin. "Good," he said. "Slim's here. Now I can rip into all of you equally."

"Shut up," came the voice behind him. "Just give me the money in the cash register and I'll be on my way."

"Oh come on," Justin taunted. "Slim? Is that you? I'm glad you've finally decided to work on your voice, but it's too little too late. Besides, Blossom isn't even here, so you're wasting your time."

"Would you shut up?"

"Justin-," Junior spoke up, but too quiet for Justin to hear.

"No!" Justin replied. "I am not going to shut up! I am angry!" The man didn't let him finish. He took his gun and hit him over the head, causing him to topple over before managing to regain his balance. Justin finally got a good look at the mugger at the same time that Slim came out of the back room.

"Is this a bad time?" Slim asked.

Just give me the damn money!" the mugger yelled.

Finally, Bossman moved and opened the cash register. As he was fiddling with the register, Justin managed to send Blossom a text. The mugger looked over and saw Justin just as he was putting the phone in his pocket. "What do you think you're doing?" he demanded as he pointed to gun in his face. "Calling for help? It won't do you any good."

"Is that a fact?" Blossom quipped from the front door. "You must have superpowers too, then. Let me guess. Super idiocy? It must be if you're robbing the Corner Shop and threatening my boyfriend."

The mugger pointed his gun at Blossom, but his hands were shaking from fright and his knees were buckling. Blossom yawned. Justin, standing behind the mugger, took the opportunity to knock the gun out of his hands. Blossom immediately ran and shoved him against the wall. The man, still shaking, pulled himself up and Blossom placed herself in front of him. "Bored now. It's time for you to go night-night." Blossom launched her punch, but the mugger remained unharmed. Blossom's fist had gone right through him. "You know I was kidding about the superpower thing earlier, right? How did you do that?"

"I didn't."

"Huh. Let me try that again." Blossom launched a second punch, and it connected normally, leaving the mugger unconscious on the ground. "It worked just fine that time." She turned to the others. "I guess I'll take him to the station and work on my aim, I suppose. I'll see you tomorrow. Right, Justin?"

"Right," he replied. She leaned in for a kiss and Justin stoically assented. She smiled and left with the mugger.

"Well?" Bossman asked.

"Nothing," he answered. "I don't love Blossom anymore."

* * *

Sarah Bellum walked through the hallway on her way to Meyer's office before leaving for the night. As she walked, so spotted someone drilling a hole in the wall. "What are you doing?" she asked.

"Sorry," he replied kindly. "It's taking a little longer than we thought to feel the cables through the walls, but we'll be out of your way in a few minutes."

"I see that," she replied. "I meant what are you doing here? Who called you to install the cable and where is the cable being installed?"

The man picked up the clipboard and searched for the requested information before answering. "The cable box is being installed in Elliott Meyer's office and was ordered this evening by Sarah Bellum."

"Thank you," she replied before storming off to Meyer's office. She entered, catching him fiddling with the control remote. "Meyer, what is all this?"

"Civil disobedience," he explained. "If you won't let me watch gymnastics, then I'm going to revolt out of principle, like Gandhi did."

"Gandhi never stole anyone's credit card information to buy a TV and cable subscription!"

Meyer shrugged as he finally finished the set up and found the channel he was looking for. He groaned. "It's over! See what you did, Sarah. I missed the final competition!"

"I'm so sorry," she said sarcastically. "Can we turn the TV off now?"

"At least let me watch the commentary," he pleaded.

"Fine!" she relented, "but then it goes off."

Meyer and Sarah watched silently as the screen changed to a woman in the news studio. "The competition here in Sherwood has officially come to an end and there is no surprise as to who has come out on top. Fourteen-year-old River Kubelik will be advancing to Regionals in Portland for the second year in a row. Dan Segallos is at the gym right now with River for an interview. Let's hand it over to Dan."

The camera cut to the gym, where people celebrating dominated most of the screen. In front, a middle aged man in a brown suit stood next to the fourteen year old champion, a brunette with a sunny disposition. "River," he began, "You just won the local competition and will be advancing to Regionals. How do you feel?"

"A little overwhelmed," she admitted in a sweet yet serious tone. "I mean, I've done this before. I made it Regionals last year, too. The excitement of winning doesn't go away though, even in local contests like this."

"You bring up a good point," Dan continued. "You've been here before. You made it Regionals last year, but you failed to qualify for Nationals. Those who have been following the competition for a while know that you suffered a serious loss. Your older sister Flower died tragically in a car accident the night before the competition."

"It threw me off completely," River admitted. "I couldn't concentrate. The judges were right to eliminate me. Flower was my biggest fan. I felt like I lost an arm."

"It's been nearly a year now. Do you think not having your sister around will negatively affect your performance at Regionals?"

"On the contrary, Mr. Segallos," River replied confidently as she pulled a locket from her pocket. "Flower has always been my biggest fan, and she continues to cheer me on in heaven. She's always with me, so I keep a locket with her picture in it everywhere I go." River popped the locket open and showed it to the camera. "Whenever I look at her picture, it feels like she's still alive."

"Pause it!" Sarah shouted. Meyer immediately complied. "Meyer, whose picture is in that locket?"

"Her older sister, Flower."

"No Meyer. Look at it. Whose picture is in that locket?"

Meyer stepped forward and took a good look at the picture. "Wow," he finally said. "It's Blossom."


	24. The Break Up Screw Up

Chapter 24: The Break Up Screw Up

John Utonium was standing in the middle of Elliott Meyer's office while the remaining PST members stared at him expectantly. Meyer's TV was still in the room, and the image of Flower Kubelik remained on the screen.

"Just tell them," Kathleen implored. "You knew the day would come when you would have to explain it."

"I was hoping to be dead by then," Utonium explained.

"I'm waiting," Osborn pointed out rudely.

"Fine," Utonium replied. "The reason Blossom looks like Flower Kubelik is because share the same body."

"I'm not following," Sarah admitted after a few seconds. "Are Blossom and Flower the same person?"

"No," Utonium staunchly explained. "Flower Kubelik is dead. She died in a car accident a year ago. Soon after her death, I sneaked into the morgue and took her body. I didn't know who she was. I just took the first body I found."

"So you revived her?" Sarah pressed.

"No," Utonium answered, a little peeved that she wasn't following clearly. "Flower Kubelik is dead. When I took her body, it was nothing more than an empty shell. What I did was fill that body with new life. Flower is dead. Blossom is an entirely new person inhabiting a body that Flower once used. Bubbles and Buttercup were created in the same fashion."

"This is too weird," Sarah mumbled.

"Grave robbing," Osborn spoke up. "Three counts, Mr. Utonium. That's a felony that can put you behind bars for the rest of your life."

"Let's not forget," Meyer fielded, "That the professor is still under my protection. This is the Powerpuff Support Team and we can't support the Powerpuff Girls to the best of our abilities if we're too busy fighting amongst each other."

"Speaking of which," Utonium said, "Aren't we supposed to be keeping the girls informed of our meetings? This secret meeting seems to bring us back to what caused their anger in the first place."

"Old habits die hard," Kathleen admitted. "The girls can't know about this. Not yet, at least."

"Which brings up one final point," Meyer said. "River Kubelik is a really good gymnast. Seriously, she's Olympics material. She not going to stop parading her locket around. If she makes it to Nationals, that locket will be shown to a worldwide audience. If the girls don't see it, then the higher power will, and what he might do with that information is worrisome to say the least. Someone needs to go to Oregon and talk to the Kubeliks about this. I suggest myself."

"I suggest not," Utonium replied. "This is my domain. I'll handle it."

* * *

Justin Bradley was standing off to the side as Blossom amused herself at the playground. She didn't seem to understand that the age limit applied to her too. Blossom was so enamored of the slides that it didn't occur to her that she wasn't a kindergartner. It was times like this that reminded Justin that the girl he was dating was only five months old. She had grown remarkably fast since then, but she still had her five year old moments, and Justin found them intolerably embarrassing.

Justin was thinking of all the things he would rather have been doing than play chaperone to his girlfriend. He could have been practicing with his band. He could have been helping Zachary and Gina-Marie pack for their move the following months. He could have been packing himself. Anything would have been better than sitting on a bench feeling like the responsible parent to his own girlfriend.

Gina-Marie was right. This relationship had to end. Blossom, from the very top of the playground, leaped down and landed playfully next to Justin. "Why aren't you playing?" she asked.

"Tired," he lied.

Blossom sat down next to him and looked him in the eye. "You have something on you mind," she finally said. "What it is?"

"It's nothing."

"Come on," she urged. "I'm your girlfriend. If you can't tell me, then who can you tell?"

"It's really not a big deal," he continued to lie. That was a lie he immediately regretted. Breaking up wasn't a small deal. If he brought it up now, Blossom would simply attack him for having called it a small deal.

"OK," she replied, although a little disappointed. "If you don't want to talk about it, that's okay with me. I'm not going to pry. I'm not a prier. Nope. Not me."

"Blossom-"

"Yeah?"

"Calm down."

Blossom took a deep breath and nodded. Justin stood up and sighed. "I have to go. I promise I'll talk to you later if I get the opportunity. All right?"

"All right," Blossom replied. She stood up to give him a kiss, but Justin had already turned around and began for his car.

* * *

The search for Gangreen members was at its end, which meant that it was finally time for Zane Gedge to submit his reports for the case, which meant he needed to fill out an individual report for each arrest made, and there were at least a hundred gang members behind bars.

Gedge flipped through the reports he had already completed, stopping at a name that he had marked specifically. "Lucas Neuwirth," he said quietly. Gedge took the report and walked over to the other side of the room to address another officer drinking a cup of coffee. "Is Captain Osborn in his office?"

"Still working on your punishment reports?" he ridiculed, not answering Gedge's question. "How's that working out for you?"

"Just fine," Gedge replied. "How about the fact that I outrank you now? How's that going to work out for you?"

The officer grumbled and took another sip of his coffee. "Yeah. He's back there," he finally said.

Gedge nodded and passed him, walking down the hallway that led to Osborn's office. He entered without a knock and found Osborn filling out a report of his own. "Lieutenant," he said looking up. "Now's not the best time. Last I checked, the Corner Shop isn't in my jurisdiction. Lo and behold, I've just received two folders of crimes that have occurred in and around the area over the last couple years. Why? Precinct 3 doesn't even want to touch it. They heard that some mugger with phasing abilities held it up the other day, and now they don't want anything to do with the place."

"I heard about that, too," Gedge replied. "That's actually what I came to talk about. Remember when I told you that some of the gang members said that there is a chance the demon came through the gate even though the ritual was halted?" Osborn nodded and Gedge continued. "Well, most of them didn't give any indication toward how that would be possible or how we would know if they were being truthful. Only one Gangreen operative gave specifics. His name is Lucas Neuwirth. He explained that if the demon had managed to come through the gate, Townsville would start witnessing occasional supernatural phenomena in certain locations. He called them hotspots. These hotspots would occasionally resonate demonic energy, giving people nearby temporary abilities. Phasing was once of the examples he gave."

"So what does this have to do with me?" Osborn asked.

"Neuwirth requested to speak with you. He said that if he was right, he would be willing to help for a deal."

"A deal?" Osborn asked, his voice reflecting a sudden change in emotion. "Do you know who Lucas Neuwirth is?" Gedge shook his head and Osborn continued. "Lucas Neuwirth led the team that Christopher Mills went undercover with. Neuwirth is personally responsible for the death of Elias Kelly and Tom Seaton as well as indirectly responsibly for the attempted murder of Christopher Mills. Lucas Neuwirth will not be receiving any kind of deal under any circumstance."

The door to his office opened. It was the officer who had made fun of Gedge just minutes before. "Captain, we just got a report in from the state troopers. It looks like Norman Lumpkins has skipped bail."

"Now?" Osborn asked. "He's been sitting pretty for months. Why would he skip out on bail now?" The officer only shrugged.

"Captain," Gedge spoke up again. "I have to go. I just remembered something important." Osborn was too preoccupied to give it much thought. He brushed off Gedge and returned to his report.

* * *

Buttercup was tired of humoring her. Day in and day out, the only thing Bubbles could think about was finding Jeremy Flint. Bubbles and Buttercup had been searching nearly 24 hours out of the last four days, neither of them coming up with anything substantial.

Buttercup was fully tired of this and had no intent on keeping up the charade. Jeremy Flint wasn't going to be found. Buttercup just needed to find some way to get that through Bubbles' thick skull. "Hey," she yelled. "We're in Miss Keane's neighborhood. Since summer started, we haven't seen her so much. We should pay her a visit."

"We can't," Bubbles replied. "We're on a mission."

"Come on, Bubbles," she urged. "We can take a break. Wherever Flint is, he's not going anywhere. I'm sure he can wait half an hour while we pay our dear teacher a visit."

Bubbles sighed and assented to Buttercup's logic. "A quick visit," she added. "Then we come right back." The two girls flew down and came in through the open window of Kathleen Keane's third-floor apartment.

Surprised to suddenly see them, Kathleen dropped the handful of papers she had with a jump. "Girls!" she said as she scrambled to pick up the dropped pages. "What are you doing here?"

"Just saying hi," Bubbles replied. "We're still looking for Jeremy Flint. Buttercup suggested that we drop in for a few minutes since we were in the area, but we can't stay long."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Kathleen replied, but Buttercup could tell her voice lacked total sincerity. "I wish you could stay, but I see you have a job to do, so I won't keep you from it."  
These weren't the words Buttercup was hoping to hear. She was hoping to hear the same words that Kathleen said when she found out that Blossom was stalking Justin Bradley. This wasn't the same Kathleen. This Kathleen was busy with something, and she didn't want to girls to know about it. "Miss Keane," Buttercup spoke up, "Don't you think it's a little odd that we're still searching for Flint, even though he's been hiding for over a month now? Don't you think it's time to give up?"

Kathleen thought for a few seconds and gave her answer. "No, I don't see why you should." This answer brought a twinkle to Bubbles' eye and a snarl to Buttercup's face. "Keep searching. He's bound to show up somewhere. Who knows? Maybe you'll think he's dead and he'll pop up again ten years from now on life support."

"What are you talking about?" Buttercup replied.

"Nothing really," Kathleen replied with a smile.

"Don't you think he's too old for Bubbles?" Buttercup continued to try.

"He doesn't look a day over 23," she answered. "Don't you have a criminal to find? Don't let me stop you. On with you, girls!"

"You don't have to tell me twice," Bubbles said before dashing out the window. Buttercup sighed. The conversation was sure to only make Bubbles more fervent in her search for Jeremy Flint.

* * *

"I still think I should be going to Oregon," Meyer mumbled under his breath, though loud enough for Sarah Bellum to hear him.

"No Meyer," she explained as she thumbed through the file cabinet she had in the far right corner of Meyer's office. "You're not going anywhere. As I've explained to you time and time again, you are the mayor of a major metropolitan American city. You do not get days off and you do not get to go on vacation to Sherwood, Oregon."

Meyer was quiet for a few seconds, which relieved Sarah, until she heard him speak again. "What are you looking for in the file cabinet? Actually, what's in that cabinet? I've never actually looked in there."

"The Powerpuff Project," she explained. "Anything and everything related to the Powerpuff Girls going in the bottom cabinet. The middle cabinet is for unexplained and supernatural occurrences in Townsville. I have a sinking feeling it's going to get crowded in that cabinet very soon."

"You're in the top cabinet," Meyer noted. "What's in the top cabinet?"

"The professor," she explained. "Anything I can find on him, his past, and the mysterious Devon Group go in this cabinet. It scares me that after nearly five months, this cabinet is still nearly empty." Sarah closed the cabinet and turned to face Meyer. "I'm going to Oregon."

"Not fair!" he immediately replied. "You're only going because I wanted to go!"

"Pay attention," she demanded. "I don't want to go, but I don't share your trust of the professor. Someone has to go with him, and I'm afraid the kindergarten teacher has too many secrets of her own as well. I'll only be gone for a few days. You can handle things until I get back, right?"

"I'm Elliott Meyer. What's the worst that could happen?"

* * *

It was literally the first time Justin Bradley had ever been alone in a girl's room with the door closed doing absolutely nothing. It was infuriating to say the least watching Blossom flip through the channel on the TV as if it were the most riveting thing she could have been doing at that moment.

Justin stood up and stared pacing, which Blossom didn't seem to notice. Eventually, he spoke up. "I'm going to the kitchen to get a drink."

"We have grape juice," Blossom replied back. "I think Buttercup drank all the orange juice, though."

"I'll live," Justin replied. He walked out the room, and sighed as he walked down the stairs and into the kitchen. He looked through the fridge trying to find a drink even though he wasn't thirsty. He just needed something to help him forget that he was still dating Blossom, and the fact that Blossom had followed him downstairs was not making it any easier.

"I have to do it now," he said to himself softly as she approached.

"Did you find anything?" Blossom asked sweetly.

Justin remained quiet for a few seconds before shaking his head. He took her by the hand and led her into the living room. "Blossom, I need to tell you something important."

"Important?" Blossom asked. She seemed intrigued and worried at the same time.

"He's going to break up with you," someone said from behind Blossom.

"No one asked you, Princess," Blossom instinctively shot back. She looked back to Justin to continue the conversation in progress only to suddenly turn around again and confirm what took her a few seconds to process. Priscilla Moore was sitting on her couch. Priscilla Moore was watching her television. Priscilla Moore was drinking her soda. Blossom jumped and held Priscilla by the throat. The sudden attack didn't seem to startle her. She sat there, ignoring Blossom's arm on her throat and stared at her full of anger and hate. "What are you doing here?"

"I live here," she choked out.

"Professor!" Blossom shouted.

A few seconds later, Utonium came running down to see the scene as it unfolded in the living room. "Damn it, Blossom," he said. "Let her go."

"Don't tell me you went and got another girlfriend without telling us," Blossom yelled. "I thought you had standards, at least."

"That's not even funny," Utonium replied. "This is Captain Osborn's idea of punishment. I agreed to take on Priscilla's case, but I've been putting it off for more important matters. As punishment, Osborn transferred all of Priscilla's care to my laboratory, which just so happens to be in my basement. Therefore, Priscilla is living here for the time being."

"How long is that?" Blossom asked.

"As long as it takes," Utonium shot back. "I don't like her here any more than you do, but we're going to have to deal. That being said, I'm going out of town for a few days, so do me a favor and don't kill her."

"And what if she tries to kill me?"

"See that choker around her neck?" he asked. Blossom released her grip to see that Priscilla was wearing a black choker. Utonium continued to explain. "It's my invention. It prevents her from touching any kind of technology for more that fifteen seconds with an electric shock that increase in strength with time. Once again, I reiterate. Don't kill her."

"Fine," she said. "I won't kill her as long as she doesn't make fun of my relationship with Justin."

"I can handle that," Priscilla coughed out as the color returned to her face. "There won't be much of a relationship left after this."

"Watch it!" Blossom warned.

"I have experience with boys like him," Priscilla reminded her. "I know what a break up looks like."

"You're wrong!" Blossom yelled. "Justin! Tell her she's wrong!"

"She's wrong!" Justin immediately replied without thinking. Blossom smiled and Priscilla rolled her eyes.

"Whatever, Honey Nut," she said. "You have fun with your fake relationship. I'm going to my room." Priscilla hopped up and retreated to the basement. Blossom kept smiling at Justin. He knew he messed up. He'd have to try again later.

* * *

That night was a rainy night. Zane Gedge was waiting in his car, and had been for the last half hour. With his headlights off, the road he was parked near was almost completely pitch black. Finally, a pair of headlights approached his location. Gedge stepped out of his car with the red umbrella and stood silently as the other car parked and its driver stepped out without an umbrella.

"Lieutenant," Malcolm Jules said as he approached. "I understand congratulations are in order. You're doing quite well for yourself on the other side of the law."

"Thank you," Gedge replied. "That's not why I called you here, Jules."

"I know," he said. "You're wondering what I'm doing with Norman Lumpkins."

"He skipped bail," Gedge noted. "That's a crime. I have a duty to bring him in."

"Your loyalties and your priorities have me a little worried, Lieutenant," Jules bluntly replied. "Forgive me if I don't trust your entirely, but my last employee was killed at Millennium Park because of you."

"I helped you break out Tom Seaton for a specific purpose. That purpose was the communicate with Xavier. With the summoning underway, Seaton's usefulness had run out. I didn't betray you. I upheld my word to you and to the law."

"It's very convenient," Jules explained. "I worry that you hold your laws to closely. After all, you are no stranger to breaking the law. You broke Seaton out of jail and now you are dutifully keeping Osborn ignorant as to Kathleen Keane and John Utonium's visits to the observatory."

"That should prove my loyalty, Jules," Gedge continued to argue. "I've done everything you've asked. Osborn doesn't know about the observatory. On the other hand, you've been keeping me ignorant of recent developments. What is Norman Lumpkins doing for you? What is so important about that observatory?"

"Once again, forgive me if I don't trust you so implicitly. I will worry about Lumpkins and the observatory. You just keep Osborn in the dark. Do we have an understanding, Lieutenant?"

Gedge didn't answer. He returned to his car and drove off without giving a reply.

* * *

It's pointless. It's pointless. It's pointless. That's what Buttercup had been thinking continuously for the last two hours as she followed Bubbles around town. This had long passed the point of humoring her and was now feeding what Buttercup could only describe as an addiction.

Bubbles stopped on a rooftop looking down at a drug deal in progress across the street. It was the third one they had come across that night, and in each case, Bubbles stopped them, asked about Jeremy Flint, and let them go when it was clear they didn't know anything about him. Jeremy Flint's trail had gone from cold to frozen very quickly, but Bubbles showed no signs of slowing down.

After a few seconds of surveillance, Bubbles flew up. The two on the ground saw her coming and split in opposite directions. Bubbles gave chase to the buyer and Buttercup went for the seller. The were caught in seconds and brought back to the point of purchase for Bubbles' quick interrogation. "I'm sorry," the buyer sobbed. "I won't do it again! I promise!" The dealer hadn't said anything. He was trying to keep a straight face.

Because of the buyer was still crying, Bubbles directed her first question to the seller. "Have you ever heard of a man named Jeremy Flint?"

"I don't know," he said slyly. "Maybe I do. Maybe I don't. Why should I tell you?"

Buttercup grabbed him by the hair and pulled him to the ground. "Look," she said calmly but sternly. "I don't want to have to talk to you and you don't want to have to talk to me. My sister is just looking for her friend. Answer her question and she'll let you go. Understand?"

He nodded in fear. "Yeah. Yeah. I get you. I don't know him. I've never heard of no Jeremy Flint."

"Flint?" the buyer spoke up and he wiped his eyes. Bubbles lit up and turned her attention to the buyer.

"Hey!" she said with a smile. "I recognize you! You were one of the guys who was with him when he held up the gas station! You must know where he is!"

"I was hoping you did," he replied. The answer sent Bubbles' hopes plummeting. "Jeremy's my best friend. I've known him for over four years, but I haven't been able to find him since the incident at Millennium Park."

"Is he in hiding?" Bubbles asked.

He shook his head. "I would know if he were. I'm the one who hides him. It's as if Jeremy has fallen completely off the map."

Bubbles was heartbroken by his response. Buttercup, however, wanted to asked one more question. "How old is Jeremy. He's really old, right?"

He shook his head again. "He only just turned 20 in April." The answer cheered Bubbles up a little, but it didn't change the fact that there was no hope left in finding him.

* * *

As the next day came, Tyler Osborn found himself doing what he didn't plan on doing. He wasn't looking forward to it, but he assent that some useful information my be acquired from it. Osborn arrived at holding room 4 and peered inside to see the last two people he wanted to talk to: one he expected and the other not, but it shouldn't have been too much of a surprise to him.

Osborn came into the room and sat down across from Lucas Neuwirth. Seated next to him was the blond-haired lawyer, Greg. "You're making quite a reputation, blond lawyer, and not a good one," Osborn said.

"You know my name," Greg replied.

"I'm still not going to use it," Osborn replied back. "I'm here to talk to Lucas. He says he wants I deal. I want to hear his terms. Then, I'll shoot them down. How does that sound?"

Greg didn't reply. He nodded slightly and allowed Lucas to make his case. Lucas looked terrible. It was clear that he hadn't gotten much sleep in the last month. He was going through so much stress and anguish that it was coming through his eyes and his complexion. "You need my help," Lucas began. "I heard about the phase-though mugger at the Corner Shop. That means the demon is loose. I can accept that what I did with the gang was wrong. I repent of all of that. I want to help. That demon is going to plunge the world into darkness and chaos and with Xavier dead, I'm the only one who knows anything about his plans."

"Why do you want to help so badly?" Osborn asked.

"He answered that already," Greg responded. "He feels guilt over his actions and wants to make amends."

"Lucas killed two people in cold blood. A kid like him doesn't show remorse. There must be another reason. Right, Lucas?"

Lucas replied. "I don't want to die."

Osborn looked at him in confusion. "You helped round up the other members and agreed to testify against them. Your sentence was already commuted to life without parole."

"That's not what I'm talking about!" he shouted angrily. Lucas rolled up his sleeve and pointed to his tattoo. "This! This is what I'm talking about! It killed Desmond and it's going to kill me if I don't get it removed! It doesn't come off like a regular tattoo. I need to research. The answer lies in the Anacoluthon Codex, which you guys have. I need that book!"

Osborn waited until he calmed down before answering. "So you want two things. You want immunity for your crimes and a way to remove that tattoo. Then you'll help us prevent the demon from plunging the world into darkness and chaos. Have I followed you correctly?"

"That's the deal."

Osborn nodded and directed his answer to Greg. "Blond lawyer, please inform your client that he might have some success with the insanity defense. I'd certainly testify in favor of it if he honestly believes I'll grant him immunity for a fairy tale."

* * *

Looking up at Mojo as he hung connected to life support, Kathleen couldn't help but wonder what was going through his head. It was the fist time she had visited without Utonium. She felt compelled to come and see him once more before she began to track down Sudhir Bachchan. If he was in possession of the Chemical X, then the world was not safe.

Suddenly, the door behind her moved. Kathleen knew it wasn't Utonium and she immediately went for her gun and pointed it in the direction of the door. Standing there was the Representative himself, Malcolm Jules. "I was wondering when we would run into you, Jules," Kathleen said with the gun still on him. "I was beginning to think you were avoiding us."

"Not you," he replied. "Him. The events from ten years ago are still engraved in my memory. I'm not quite ready to speak to him yet."

"What do you want to do to him, Jules?"

"Please," he insisted. "I am simply a representative of a higher power. Call me Mojo." Kathleen nodded and Jules continued. "I want you to know that I have no hard feelings toward you and the professor."

"The rabid dog attacks seem to say otherwise."

Jules shook his head. "I knew the girls would save you. I had no doubt as to your safety. The girls, on the other hand, are a different story. I don't like them. I want them gone, but in order to do that, I must make a deal with you."

"Why should I make a deal with you?"

"I'll tell you what you want to know. Sudhir Bachchan is, as you suspect, in possession of the Chemical X. He and Reese Baum were planning on using it to take over the world. I admit, that was once my goal, too. I am no longer on the same path. About a year ago, when the professor began collecting bodies for his new project, I threw away world domination. Reese and Sudhir became my enemies and the three things needed to take over the world were held by three different people."

"Three things?"

"The Powerpuff formula, in Reese's possession, the helmet, in my possession, and the Chemical X, in the professor's possession. Reese took the Chemical X and brought the professor here, hoping he would kill me so she could take the helmet. For reasons that are too complicated to explain, neither Reese nor Sudhir could do it themselves. With Reese dead, the three pieces are once again split. Sudhir has the Chemical X, I have the helmet, and the professor has the Powerpuff formula."

"Why are you telling me all this?"

"The game is easier with only to players," he explained. "Help me get rid of Sudhir and you'll only have me to deal with."

"But you said you're not into world domination anymore."

"I'm not," he explained. "I have a different aim. Please let me know if you're interested. This partnership could beneficial for the both of us. Goodbye Kathleen. It's been good seeing you again."

* * *

The evening was windy, but it didn't seem to bother Blossom at all. Having flown at high speeds, the wind barely registered for her. Justin, on the other hand, suffered from the dropping temperatures of the night, even with a jacket on. He and Blossom were out on the pier at the beach. Several other couples and families dotted the pier and the nearby boardwalk where the shops and restaurants were.

Blossom kept her attention to the sea. Justin stood by her in silence. He couldn't stop thinking about the need to end the relationship, but Priscilla Moore's sudden interruption had made his duty much harder. Blossom was now more committed than ever, and she wasn't hiding it. "I don't care what Princess says," Blossom said. "I know I love you and I know you love me. She's an idiot. She doesn't know what she's talking about."

"Blossom," Justin spoke up, "Can we not talk about Priscilla?"

"Sorry," she replied. She returned to her view of the ocean, but it wasn't long before she reverted to where she left off. "I mean, she's a supervillain, and supervillains lie, right? That's what they do."

"Blossom!" Justin urged. He noticed his sudden tone and reeled it in before continuing. "I really don't want to talk about her, okay."

"All right," she said. This time, she appeared to listen. It was quiet for a while and Justin closed his eyes to be alone with his thoughts, but that was soon marred by Blossom's voice. "She shouldn't use her relationships and compare it to mine. It's not the same."

"Damn it, Blossom! It is the same!" Justin didn't even stop to think. It was all coming out of his mouth like a rushing flood. There was simply no way to prevent it. "Priscilla was right! I am not happy with the way this relationship is going, and I'm really not happy that you don't even notice it, so I'm putting an end to it right here. It's over, Blossom!"

Now Blossom was silent for good and Justin's outbursts had garnered more than a few spectators. Justin caught his breath and noticed the situation he was in. He sighed and said, "That came out wrong."

Blossom shook her head. "No. I think that came out just fine." Blossom turned around and walked down to the base of the pier, not even having the energy to fly. Justin stepped up to follow her, but a young woman and a middle-aged man with a goatee stood in his way. Justin could only look passed them as a mother with her son and two teenage boys walked with Blossom to comfort her.

The summer of new beginnings had hit a sour note, and it was only going to get worse.


	25. The Rival Arrival

Chapter 25: The Rival Arrival

John Utonium parked the rental car by the curb just a block away from the Kubelik house. Sarah Bellum was in the passenger seat, trying to steady her heartbeat before stepping out and following Utonium. He didn't seem as worried as she clearly was. "So how are we going to do this?" she asked. She waited for a response, but Utonium simple stood in silence as he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and checked the time. Sarah continued. "Well, I was thinking I ought to do most of the talking. I'm much better with people than you are. I think I'm better suited to getting the point across about how important this is for the girls and for Townsville in general."

Utonium stood silently for a few more seconds until he was sure Sarah had finished. He turned around and tossed an ID card at Sarah. "You're plan won't work," he explained. "This family not only lost their eldest daughter, but her body mysteriously disappeared from the morgue as well. They're not going to listen to an unemployed scientist and a local politician for a city they've never been to."

"Then what's your plan?"

"Look at the card," he urged. Sarah saw the card tossed to her was an FBI card with her picture on it, with the name Sarah Madison written on the bottom. "That's the plan," Utonium continued. "We are from the FBI. We are going to confiscate the locket. That will be the end of the story."

"Really?" Sarah asked. She was actually a little thrilled at the idea. "FBI? Like Moulder and Scully?"

"Who?"

"X-Files?"

Utonium just shook his head.

"Never mind. Just lead the way."

Utonium did as she suggested and knocked on the door. A man answered after a few second. He was about the same height as Utonium, though a little larger around the waist. He was wearing a white, button up shirt with the top button undone. His hair was a slightly receding widow's peak and horn-rimmed glasses sat on his face. "Hello," he said nicely. "How can I help you?"

Utonium flashed his fake FBI Id and introduced himself. "Howard Kubelik? I'm John Weston with the FBI. This is my partner, Sarah Madison. Do you mind if we come in?"

"No, not at all," Howard said as he stepped out of the way and allowed them to enter. "Please. Sit down. My wife is in the kitchen. I can have her bring you two a drink if you'd like."

"I'd like that," Sarah spoke up before Utonium could reject the offer.

Howard peaked his head into the kitchen and said, "Honey, two agents with the FBI are here. Could you make them some coffee, please?"

"Sure!" she called back.

Howard sat down in the chair across from where Utonium and Sarah had sat down. "So," he began. "I must say, this is a surprise. I haven't heard a word from the FBI in months and here they are. What's so important that you had to come out here to Sherwood?"

Sarah immediately looked at Utonium, hoping he had a prepared answer. "Unfortunately, we have not made any progress in locating your daughter's body. Whoever took it was very meticulous in his execution."

"You give him a lot of credit," Howard replied. "The agents who were here last said the guy just got lucky the cameras in the morgue were malfunctioning that day." Utonium crinkled his nose at the comment, though Howard didn't notice as he continued. "Well, that does lower my expectations, but it does make me wonder what could have brought you out here to Sherwood."

"It's about River," Utonium explained. He stopped as Howard's wife, a blazing read head in a colorful dress, came in with a tray of four cups of coffee and a container of sugar in the middle. She placed it on the table and Sarah was the first to get her cup. Howard took his and his wife took hers. Utonium didn't even look at the tray.

"Agents," Howard said, "This is my wife, Sunset. Honey, the agents said they have something so say about River. What is it?"

"What could it be?" Sunset asked rhetorically. The tension was killing Sarah.

Finally, Utonium gave his response. "At the gymnastic competition, River displayed that locket of hers to the camera during her interview. I've come on behalf of the bureau to ask River to refrain from showing Flower's picture to the camera anymore."

"Why?" Sunset asked. Her question was directed at Sarah, who initially stammered in her answer.

"We're not at liberty to discuss an ongoing investigation," she finally blurted out.

"I don't understand," Sunset continued.

"I understand perfectly!" came an irate voice from the other room. In seconds, River storm out from the hallway and into the living room. "How dare these agents try to tell me what to do with my locket. I will show Flower's picture to everyone in the world and there is nothing they can to do stop me."

"River, calm down," her father requested.

"If River doesn't comply," Utonium said, "I will have to confiscate the locket."

Sarah glanced at River, who seemed just about ready to explode at the thought the her locket might be taken away from her. River hurriedly pulled the locket from her pocket and dangled it from the end of her finger. "You want the locket? Come and get it! I dare you!"

"I think it time to do some breathing exercises," Sunset said as she led her fuming daughter out of the room.

Utonium addressed Howard. "You must understand my position Mr. Kubelik."

Howard shook his head and he stood up and opened the front door. He motioned for them to go out, which they begrudgingly assented to. "I lost my eldest daughter a year ago, and when her body was stolen, I almost lost River, too. That locket is the only thing that keeps her grounded. If you take that locket from her, it will destroy my family, so please understand my position. I understand that you have a job to do, so I don't blame you personally, so I hope you don't blame me personally when I fight to the end to save my family. Have a nice day, agents."

Howard shut the door, and the two of them walked down to the end of the driveway. "That was a bust," Sarah lamented. "Now what?"

"You heard River," Utonium explained. "Come and get it. That's exactly what we're going to do."

* * *

"This has got to stop," Buttercup insisted as she entered the living room from the kitchen. As she entered, she was immediately disturbed as she saw Blossom painting Priscilla Moore's nails. Over the last couple days, the two had bonded over their respective hatred for Justin Bradley and had become quite friendly. Buttercup couldn't take it any longer. "Have you even talked to Justin since then?"

Priscilla gagged at the mention of his name, which made Blossom smile. "In a way," Blossom replied. "He texted me and I didn't respond. He called me and I didn't answer. Gina-Marie called me to request that I answer him calls, and I refused to comply. I saw him entering the Corner Shop and I flew off. I think I've done more than enough." Priscilla nodded with a victorious smile.

Buttercup groaned. "I can't believe you! Bubbles! Talk some sense into your sister!"

"I'm not getting into this," Bubbles said from the stairs. "This is a very personal issue, and I think Blossom needs to deal with it on her own."

"But she's not dealing with it on her own," Buttercup retorted. "She's dealing with it with Priscilla Moore. The brat is going to be a bad influence on Blossom, and the last thing we need is Princess meddling in Powerpuff affairs."

"You want to try saying that to my face, Dandelion?" Priscilla urged as she jumped up from the couch and got directly into Buttercup's face.

"What are you going to do about it?" Buttercup continued as she derisively placed her index finger on Priscilla's choker. "You're on a leash."

A ringing sound suddenly filled everyone's ears, but no one moved to answer it. Blossom hardly ever moved from the couch, and Buttercup and Priscilla were too fixed on their staring contest to even consider answering it. "The phone is ringing," Bubbles told the room to no avail. "Never mind. Bubbles will get it." Bubbles levitated from the stairs into the living room and answered the Powerpuff phone in the corner. "Hello?"

"Bubbles?" Meyer's voice asked. "You never answer the phone."

"Everyone else is a little preoccupied," she explained. "What's up?"

"I'm really glad you answered the phone, actually. There's some kind of disturbance at Andros Mall. I wasn't really getting a clear explanation of what was happening, but the description of the man causing the disturbance matches Jeremy Flint from head to toe."

"Are you serious?"

"Cross my heart and-" Bubbles hung up and flew to Buttercup's side. "I found Jeremy! He's at Andros Mall. There's some kind of disturbance. I don't know what's going on and I don't really care, but we can't let him get away, not this time."

"Are you coming, leader?" Buttercup asked Blossom.

"I'm not going anywhere," Blossom replied, as she had always replied after being asked for the last few days.

"Fine," Buttercup said. Without wasting another second, the girls were out.

* * *

Bubbles and Buttercup arrived at the mall in a matter of minutes, and it wasn't difficult to spot where the police cars were congregated and the people were fleeing out. Buttercup landed over by the police officers, but Bubbles didn't waste any time in going in. Buttercup looked beside her and spotted Lieutenant Gedge coming over to her. "What's going on?"

"It's Flint," he explained. "I don't know how he's doing it, but he's repelling us every time we get close. I think it might have something to do with the hotspots Lucas was talking about?"

"Are better question is why he's doing this," Buttercup pointed out. "Jeremy Flint is just a common thief. What the hell is he doing? Lead a team in after me in five minutes. Understand?"

"Understood, Buttercup. Good luck."

Buttercup nodded and dashed inside and stopped at the entrance to the store, where Bubbles had stopped as well. "He's in there," she said. "I'm going in." Bubbles ran in and Buttercup followed. They followed the path in the emptied out department store until finally coming across Jeremy in the women's clothing section. There he was, in a pair of Capri jeans, T-shirt, and red jacket that he had just taken off the rank in front of him. He turned to face the girls, and it was clear that we was wearing a small amount of black eyeliner as well.

"Trying out a new look, Flint?" Buttercup joked. "I know it's been a long time since you've actually had to pay for something in a store, but guys still buy stuff from the guys section."

Bubbles didn't seem to notice the clothes. "Jeremy! Where have you been! I have been searching for you for over a month! What happened to you?"

Jeremy turned his entire body toward the girls and smiled. "My oh my," he said. His voice was drastically different, and both girls noticed it. It had risen several octaves since Bubbles had last heard him speak, and it had a certain sarcastic quality to it. It wasn't quite a falsetto, but it wasn't far from it either. "I've been waiting quite some time to see you, Bubbles. I apologize that it's taken me so long to see you, but I didn't want you to see me until I was ready."

"Ready?" Buttercup asked. "Okay. This is getting weird. It's time we ended this already." Buttercup tried to moved, but found that her feet were frozen in place. "This is even weirder. What is going on?"

"I'm not interested in talking to you, Buttercup," Flint explained. "Be quiet. This is between me and Bubbles?"

"What?" she shouted. "Are you insane?"

"I'm confused," Bubbles answered. "What is there between us?"

"I'm not sure, either," Flint replied. "But you must feeling that there is something, right?"

"I do," Bubbles said as she began to step forward.

"Wait!" Buttercup shouted. "Bubbles, you can move? Punch him in the throat already! I want to go home!"

"Just wait a minute!" Bubbles replied.

Flint suddenly shifted his glance toward Buttercup. "She thinks you're weak," Flint said of Buttercup. "She thinks that you are a detriment to her ability to fight crime. She thinks the Powerpuff Girls would be better of without you, Bubbles."

"That is a lie!" Buttercup defended.

Flint then turned back to Bubbles. "She thinks you don't care about her," Flint said about Bubbles. "She think that you don't care about anyone but yourself and that you're reckless and cruel. She wishes you would take her feelings into consideration more often, but she feels you never will because you're heartless."

"Liar!" Buttercup continued.

"Actually," Bubbles said. "I do feel that way."

"Stop listening to him," Buttercup insisted. "He's just trying to mess with your mind. How the hell are you doing that, Flint?"

"Jeremy Flint isn't in right now," he replied, "but I'll be sure to give him the message."

"Who are you?"

"I'm just a visitor in your world, a visitor who wasn't provided with his own body, so he had to make use of someone else's. I must say, Jeremy Flint has been a most gracious host."

"He's manipulating you, Bubbles!" Buttercup repeated.

"With what? The truth?" Now Bubbles was in Buttercup's face, and Buttercup couldn't move at all. "Would you prefer if I were dead, Buttercup?"

"This is nonsense, Bubbles!"

Just then, footsteps could be heard. They looked and saw Gedge coming in with a handful of officers behind him. Buttercup cursed under her breath, having forgotten that she told him to come in after five minutes.

"I told you to stay out!" Flint screamed. His voice changed again. It had gone from a near-falsetto to a gravelly baritone. He snapped his fingers and immediately disappeared into the thin air. Simultaneously, Buttercup was released and the building began to crumble. Debris began to hit the ground and the officers began to retreat. Buttercup caught a large piece that nearly fell on Gedge, and Bubbles created an exit in the wall for everyone to escape faster. They all made it a safe distance just as the mall began to crumble to the ground.

Gedge, sitting on the ground, managed to catch his breath. "Flint did all that?"

"No," Buttercup replied. "That wasn't Flint." Bubbles didn't say anything. Her eyes were fixed on the rubble that remained.

* * *

"Why did I agree to do this?" Sarah mumbled under her breath. She had successfully climbed up to the second branch on the tree and was having difficulty reaching the third. That branch was just outside River Kubelik's window, and that was the branch she needed. Although she was now regretting having agreed to this, she was previously excited about the idea of sneaking into the Kubelik house and stealing the locket. The excitement had long since run out.

Sarah leaped up and grabbed onto the third branch. She pulled herself up and waited until her heart rate rested before inching closer to the window. Luckily, River kept the window slightly ajar, and so Sarah simply pulled it open completely, pulled back the curtain, and slid into her room.

She surveyed the room, which looked like the room of any 14-year-old girl so into gymnastics as she was. The room was dark, but the light from the hallway was enough for Sarah to see River sleeping in her bed with the locket around her neck as she slept. Sarah tiptoed closer and tried to move her hand around the chain.

River moved. Sarah held her breath. Finally, she stopped and Sarah released her breath. Sarah continued to fiddle with the chain until it finally came loose and she was able to pull it out from under her neck without waking her. She slowly moved back until reaching the window. She was still sound asleep, and Sarah moved ever so slowly until she was back out on the third branch and the window was as it was.

"Hey!" Utonium shouted from the ground. Sarah shook from fright and nearly slipped out of the tree, managing to hold on to the branch at the last second. "Would you stop playing around, Sarah? We have to go!"

Sarah just sighed and shook her head. "No respect," she mumbled.

* * *

"I think that just about settles it," Meyer said, speaking to the others in his office. "If what Bubbles has just told us is true, and I have no reason to doubt it with Lieutenant Gedge's testimony to verify it, this means we have a demon loose in Townsville. It looks like were weren't as successful in stopping the Gangreen Gang as we thought."

"Sorry," Bubbles said, standing in the corner.

"It's not your fault," Kathleen replied. "If we had told you about the Gangreen Gang sooner, we would have been able to stop them before the summoning. We're all at fault here, and we need to do something about it."

"What exactly do you propose?" Captain Osborn asked derisively. "I don't really know anything about your time with the Devon Group, so I don't know if you've come across anything like this before. If Reese Baum is any indication, you guys at the Devon Group probably released demons all the time."

"Reese Baum and I are nothing alike," Kathleen defended. "This has nothing to do with the Devon Group, but it does have something to do with the Anacoluthon Codex. I'll look through it, but the problem is that I don't know what I'm looking for. The codex is a massive book. It won't be an easy search."

"Well," Gedge spoke up, "There is one thing we could try."

"That is not an option, Lieutenant," Osborn immediately shot down.

"Is he a member of the PST now?" Meyer inquired. "I just need to know so I can get him a membership badge."

"I never got a badge," Kathleen said.

"Captain," Gedge continued. "This could be our only hope in stopping thing thing. If this thing could level a building with a snap of a finger, there's no telling what else it could do."

"What are you talking about?" Meyer asked.

"Lucas Neuwirth," he explained. Osborn crinkled his nose at the name, but Gedge continued. "He was one of the Gangreen Gang members, one of Xavier's right hand. He predicted that the demon was loose, and predicted the hotspots. He knows the most about this demon. If there is anyone who might know what to look for in the codex, it would be him."

"So what's the plan?" Kathleen asked. "You want me to stop by the prison every so often to get Lucas' opinion?"

"No, we need to have him released."

"Lieutenant!"

"It's the only way! We're desperate, Captain!"

The room fell silent. Suddenly, everyone looked at Bubbles, who had been mostly quiet. "What about Jeremy?" she asked.

"The Anacoluthon Codex might indicate how to expel the demon from his body. He's not lost."

"Then get Lucas out," she insisted. "Whatever it takes to save Jeremy."

"He'll need an immunity agreement from the governor," Osborn said. "Meyer, can you get that?"

"I'll call him first thing in the morning."

"Good," he replied. "I don't like this, but I guess it's what we have to do."

* * *

"I don't think you fully understand the gravity of the situation here!" Buttercup yelled as she paced back and forth in the living room trying to find some way to garner Blossom's attention. Nothing was working. "Okay. You remember that there was this big building called the mall, right? It's not there anymore! This is what I'm talking about! This is what we're dealing with! Are you seriously going to sit there and pout about Justin Bradley while a demon threatens the safety and security of everyone in Townsville?"

Blossom looked at her sister. Buttercup was hopeful that this was the first step in getting her attention, but this hope was quickly shot down. "Buttercup, could you move please? You're blocking the TV."

"What?"

"You heard her," Priscilla mocked as she reentered the room. "Also, you got a package from some guy named David Wilson from New York. You don't know anyone in New York do you?"

"Yeah. Give it here."

"Make me."

"Fine," Buttercup replied. "Hold it for a few more seconds."

"What are you talking about-AAH!" Priscilla threw the bag as it shocked her, and Buttercup got it before it hit the ground. She took it out of the thin bag and showed Priscilla that it was a videotape."

"You're a little bitch, you know that?" Priscilla complained as she left the room.

Buttercup saw that Wilson had left a note with the tape: Most of the footage was useless, but I've sent you something that you really need to see. Buttercup shrugged and popped the tape in. Blossom groaned, but didn't really do anything to stop her. "Let's see what we have here."

Buttercup and sat as she watched the grainy footage of David Wilson running through the chaos during the summoning at Millennium Park. At wasn't long until it was clear what Wilson wanted to show her. A gust of wind caused Wilson to fall over. He managed to stand and point the camera in the direction of the wind gust. There, agonizing in pain against a tree, was Jeremy Flint. He groaned in pain as the wind and fog rushed into his body. It was at this point that the camera lost power.

"Demonic possession," Buttercup said. "That settles it. Blossom, we need you."

"You're a Powerpuff Girl, aren't you?" she asked indifferently. "Handle it yourself."

* * *

The next day couldn't come quick enough for Utonium and Sarah. River had an interview with the local station in the morning, and the two were there with their fake FBI IDs just to see how the Kubelik's would react to the missing locket. Much to Utonium's surprise, none of them seemed to be showing any outward distress as they arrived at the station. Sunset and River noticed the two of them standing backstage, but continued walking to get ready for the interview. Howard made the detour and greeted them.

"Morning agents," he said with a wave and a smile. "I'm glad that you both are here, actually. I wanted to apologize for the way River behaved yesterday. Flower is still a touchy subject in our house, but that doesn't excuse the way she acted. She knows that she is supposed to show people of authority the respect they deserve. I just wanted to extend a heartfelt apology on behalf of the entire Kubelik family."

"That's awfully kind of you, Mr. Kubelik," Sarah said while shaking his hand. "I suppose we came off as rather brisk the other day, so we are to blame as well."

Utonium didn't say anything. He nodded slightly to indicate he had heard Howard, but didn't say anything in return. They waited together backstage until it was time for River to have her interview with Dan Segallos. River took her seat across from him and they exchanged pleasant greetings before the cameras began to roll again.

"Good morning, Oregon," Dan began. "We're back with our special guest this morning, River Kubelik. River, you've become something of a minor celebrity around town, haven't you? How have you adjusted to that?"

"It wasn't easy at first," she explained. "I remember when I used to go to the mall and hang out with my friends. Now if I go there, I have store owners shouting my name, just hoping that I'll pop in because it'll help their business. They're not wrong, either."

"So in just a few weeks, you'll be competing at Regionals. Are you prepared?"

"Beyond prepared. I've been waiting for this day for over a year, Mr. Segallos."

"Now I hope you don't mind me asking, but I have never seen you without your locket around your neck unless you're competing. Do you mind me asking why you don't have it on?"

"I thought you'd never ask," she said with a devilish smile that worried Sarah and vexed Utonium. "Yesterday, my family was visited by two FBI agents who told me I couldn't show my locket on TV anymore. If I refused, they would take my locket away. I refused, so they broke into my house last night to steal my locket."

"They stole your locket?" Dan asked, shocked.

River shook her head. "These guys are idiots. I wore a dummy locket last night and they fell for it." River fished into her pocket and pulled out the locket. She popped it open and jumped over the desk so the camera could get a better look. "Keep trying, agents!" she shouted. "If you want to take this locket away, you're going to have to do a lot better than that!"

"What ever happen to respect?" Sarah asked.

"A little rebellion is good for a teenager," Howard explained. "Please don't take it personally, agents. I'm just doing what's best for my family."

"Can you believe this, John?" she asked.

Utonium, however, was no longer by her side. He had run off just second before after spotting someone on the other side of the studio. He gave chase, but lost him as soon as he turned the corner. Utonium didn't doubt that he actually saw him, and it solidified what he had been worrying about since Reese's death. "Ryan Parker. The Devon Group is here."

* * *

Once more at the observatory, Kathleen Keane looked on Mojo Jojo, still half expecting him to move. In the dead silence, the sudden sound of her phone ringing sent her heart racing. She answered it, never once dropping her eyesight from Mojo. "Kathleen," Utonium said rather urgently, "It looks like what Reese said may be true. She was hiding the girls from the Devon Group. Now that she's dead, they're on to us. I saw Ryan in Oregon. I couldn't catch him, but I know he was here, and if he is here, that means someone is most certainly watching you in Townsville. Watch you back."

"I will," Kathleen replied. "When are you getting back?"

"I'm not sure. The Kubelik family is being a lot harder to deal with than I anticipated. I'll try to wrap this up. Any longer and this might get out of hand. Be careful, Kathleen."

"I will, Ken," she said, hanging up. She took a deep breath, then looked to her left where Malcolm Jules was standing.

"I'm glad you didn't tell him I was here," he said.

"I don't know how he would have reacted if he found out I was talking to Mojo's representative. I'm not sure how he feels about Mojo, but I know he wants you dead."

"But we can't have that, can we? We need to find Sudhir Bachchan."

"We do," Kathleen assented, "and new developments have come up. It turns out that the Gangreen Gang was somewhat successful in summoning their demon after all. If I recall correctly, you're the one who funded the Gangreen Gang, so I should be making you deal with that."

Jules brushed off his hands slowly as a symbolic gesture that he was absolving himself of any responsibility regarding the demon. "I have nothing to do with him. I trust the Powerpuff Girls will be able to deal with him in due time. My focus is on getting that Chemical X. Do we have a deal, Kathleen?"

Kathleen hesitated, but finally assented and shook his hand. "This is only temporary, Mojo. As soon as this demon is dealt with and Sudhir is found, it's every man for himself."

"Or monkey, for that matter," Jules added.

* * *

"Fine," Osborn said as he spoke on the phone in his office. "I understand Mrs. Neuwirth. Thank you for your time. Goodbye." Osborn hung up, and breathed a sigh of relief. He stood up, took a couple papers from the desk, and exited his office and joined to other officers in the main room.

He spotted Lieutenant Gedge on the phone across the room, waving him over and he finished his call and hung up the phone. Gedge noted something down on his pad before addressing Osborn. "I know this isn't exactly a pressing matter, but I just got a call from Detroit Metro. Norman Lumpkins was spotted leaving the scene of a tenement fire that erupted last night. The police haven't been able to find him since then."

"Do they think he started the fire?"

"The evidence is inconclusive, but arson is likely. First responders were able to rescue everyone except one person." Gedge paused to find the name he had written down on his pad. "A teenager by the name of Kevin Carpenter. His body was never recovered either, but his mother swears he was right behind her when they were going down the stairs. Police think Lumpkins may have taken the body."

"What would Lumpkins want with a body?"

"I'm not sure, sir," he replied. "What's the latest on Neuwirth?"

"Meyer got the signature, but Lucas' parents have completely disowned him. They will not take him back into their custody. I'll try to find out what to do with Lucas. You keep talking with Detroit and see if we can get a lead on where Lumpkins is heading next."

"I'm on it, sir."

* * *

"Princess!" Buttercup yelled. "'Would you please put the volume on your TV down?"

"No!" she shouted back. "It's my TV! I had it brought from my house! I can have it as loud as I want!"

"Priscilla," Blossom said from the kitchen, "I'm getting ready to go to bed, so could you turn the volume down?"

"Sure thing, Blossom," she said, lowering it to an acceptable level. Buttercup just groaned and returned upstairs. "I'm watching a talk show if you want to watch it with me. I can't remember the guy's name. It's the Scottish one."

"No thanks, Priscilla."

Priscilla shrugged and returned to the TV. "By the way," the Scottish guy said, "did you hear about what happened in Oregon today? Of course you didn't. You've never even heard of Oregon. I'll tell you. Apparently, two FBI agents broke into a girl named River Kubelik's house in order to steal her locket with a picture of her deceased older sister in it, but the girl, on live TV this morning, proudly proclaimed that the agents stole a fake one while showing the real one to the camera. Do we have that clip? Let's play that clip. No, that's a picture of Margaret Thatcher! Play the clip, Geoffrey."

The clip from that morning played, starting from the point that River leaped over the desk with her locket. "Keep trying, agents! If you want to take this locket away, you're going to have to do a lot better than that!" Priscilla immediately scrambled for the control remote and paused it.

"Blossom! Get in here!" Blossom dashed in. Priscilla didn't say anything. She just pointed at the TV. Blossom looked, stood shocked, and looked at Priscilla for an explanation. "It's some girl named River in Oregon. That's apparently a picture of her dead older sister, but you have to be blind not to see that's a picture of you, Blossom."

"The professor went to Oregon," Blossom reasoned. "This must be what he went for. I have to go." Without wasting another second, Blossom ran out of the house.

Priscilla was left standing there. "You could have at least said thank you, you little-AAH! (the remote control). Damn it! I hate this house!"


End file.
